A Forgotten Night
by seta-sakura
Summary: UPDATE! Sanosuke has his bachelor party in Las Vegas with his three best friends. What will happen when Kenshin wakes up to an unknown woman and a severely bad hangover?
1. A Forgotten Nightch1

Disclaimer: RK doesn't belong to me, I merely borrowed some characters for my tale  
  
A.N. Hi-diddly-ho! Sakura-san here! Once again, my imagination has gone wild and I've thought up a new plot to put our favourite red-head through!  
  
Now for those of you reading my other fanfic, don't panic! I'm still writing it. It will be completed.  
  
Okay, some general notes. This is an A/U fic. No alternate pairing here. It's a romance/humour story so no worries about any angst/drama (well, maybe a little drama, gotta make it sorta interesting, don't I?). FYI the "" are for speech, the ''are for thoughts.  
  
Anyways, it's A/U, but all the elements that make Kenshin. Kenshin. are still there. Just gotta work them into the story :D  
  
Read&Review Pls!  
  
Happy reading!  
  
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A Forgotten Night.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Kenshin Himura groaned as he rolled over in the large bed. He buried his head fully beneath the pillow to block out any light that was managing to penetrate his closed lids.  
  
"Too much booze." he groaned.  
  
There certainly had been, and his body was now revolting against him because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed the previous night.  
  
Las Vegas had been a BAD idea. How he managed to allow Sano to talk him into going to Vegas was beyond him. Sure Sano was getting married in a few weeks, to a certain 'fox' doctor no less. But his insistence that his bachelor party be in Vegas was a bad idea from the get go, and Kenshin knew it.  
  
-------------  
  
"Kenshin, it's my last weekend as a bachelor. C'mon! It wouldn't be the same without my best man!" Sano had exclaimed happily slapping Kenshin on the back. The smaller man was jolted forward slightly.  
  
"Oro. Sano, technically you're NOT a bachelor. You're engaged to Megumi. You're going to MARRY her. How can you be a bachelor when you're spoken for?" Kenshin asked grimly as they walked down the crowded street.  
  
"It's a figure of speech, Kenshin. Damn you take everything so seriously! C'mon! I want my final weekend of freedom to be one I'll never forget!"  
  
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Kenshin grumbled a little more as he snuggled further under the pillow. His only thoughts was that Sano had better have been just as hung over or worse. He hoped his tall friend was suffering more.  
  
The trip has been fine. at first.  
  
They had arrived at the Hotel/Casino near dusk. Kenshin had finally relented to Sano's plea that his party weekend be in Vegas and had arranged the whole thing. Of course, he had no choice when it came to being best man. He HAD to arrange the whole thing. And pay for it too. But he didn't care about the money. He could spare it.  
  
Sano insisted that his best friends accompany him, and only his best friends. Kenshin was quite relieved that Sano was sober when he made that proclamation. A drunken Sano usually felt that anyone providing booze was his best friend. Wait. bad example. When Sano was drunk EVERYONE was his best friend. So instead of everyone Sano met being brought along on this trip to Vegas, only four men arrived in the back seat of the limo.  
  
Sano hung out the sunroof of the limo as it made its way down the sunset strip. His eyes devoured everything he could see. The bright lights, the crowded sidewalks, the CASINOS!  
  
To say Sano liked gambling was an understatement.  
  
Megumi had entrusted Kenshin with the task of keeping an eye on Sano and his spending at the craps tables.  
  
It should be pointed out that Sano wasn't a gambling addict. On the contrary, he didn't need to be. He made enough money running his own company. But he had a stubborn streak a mile long, and didn't like it when something was out of his control and left up to chance. That's why Sano hated craps the most. With the toss of a couple of die, he could win or lose. Sano hated to lose, and he lost a lot when it came to those dice. Therefore his preference to the craps tables was purely so he could conquer them.  
  
Statistics says Sano could never conquer craps.  
  
Sano said otherwise.  
  
Kenshin sat back in the limo and stared out the window at the passing lights and activities that was Las Vegas. Beside him sat the quiet, cool, composed form of Aoshi Shinomori, a college friend of Sano's. Opposite the two men was Sano's childhood best friend and business partner Katsuhiko Tsukioka, better known as Katsu.  
  
"Oi! Katsu! You gotta come see this!" Sano exclaimed from the roof of the car. Katsu stood up and poked his head out and joined his friend in ogling all the sites.  
  
"Kenshin, are you sure this was a good idea?" Aoshi asked as he stared at the legs of the two men-turned-boys as they stood out the sunroof window. Kenshin turned his amethyst eyes to the two pairs of legs as well then towards his co-worker.  
  
"I've always had my doubts, Aoshi. But it's Sano's bachelor party." Kenshin replied, as if that was a good enough reason. Aoshi merely blinked at the red-head beside him, quirked an eyebrow and turned back to look out his own window.  
  
The limo pulled up in front of The Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. A bellhop immediately opened the limo door and stood back as its occupants got out. Sano was the first out as he bounded off with Katsu to get a good look at the hotel where they were staying. Aoshi climbed out, followed by Kenshin. Then, the older, more responsible two men of the group of four, walked into the hotel to check in.  
  
"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"  
  
"Reservations for four suites under the name Himura." Kenshin said. The woman typed in his name in the computer and got his reservation on screen.  
  
"Of course Mr. Himura, welcome to the Monte Carlo. I need a piece of ID and your credit card for verification." she said smiling and batting her lashes at the man before her. Kenshin smiled politely in return and the girl blushed slightly. He fished out his license and credit card and passed them to her.  
  
Of course, she continually flirted shamelessly with Kenshin. It wasn't the first time that a woman flirted with him. Nor would it be the last, he was sure.  
  
Kenshin was in no way arrogant or egotistical about his looks. He didn't pay much attention to them. But for some reason, woman found him very attractive. His ex girlfriend told him it was the whole package. There weren't many men like Kenshin around. Long flaming red hair, deep amethyst eyes, even the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek was, to quote Tomoe "unbelievably sexy".  
  
"Oi! Kenshin! Great place you picked out here, man! This is gonna be a great weekend!" Sano exclaimed as he bounded over to his short friend and seized him into a headlock.  
  
"Oro." Kenshin mumbled as he attempted to extract himself from Sano's firm hold.  
  
"Mr. Himura, here are you keys, you're suites are located on the 20th floor. The elevators are just down that hall." the receptionist said as she handed the four keys to Kenshin and gestured to her right. Sano reached out and snatched the keys from the woman's hands.  
  
"Thanks, toots." he winked at her, then proceeded to drag Kenshin down the hall. Aoshi and Katsu followed behind, keeping a respectable distance from the over-excited Sano and his prisoner, and pretending they didn't know them.  
  
"Sano, could you please let go?" Kenshin asked as Sano stopped in front of the elevators. Sano immediately released his hold on Kenshin and slapped his friend on the back.  
  
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just really looking forward to getting to the casino and the bar! We're getting piss drunk tonight guys!" Sano exclaimed. Kenshin rubbed his sore neck and merely shrugged his shoulders. He knew he couldn't argue with Sano when his friend was in the mood he was currently in. So he had a night of being piss drunk ahead of him. Not to mention the hangover-from-hell he was sure would attack his body the next morning.  
  
So the trip had been fine, up until he woke up minutes beforehand.  
  
Kenshin had been right about getting piss drunk. And he had also been right about the hangover-from-hell. He shifted again and groaned.  
  
His head throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He felt weak, disorientated and very VERY thirsty.  
  
'Gods, how much did I DRINK last night?!'  
  
There had been several martini's, some scotch, Sano even managed to find out the bar kept a nice supply of sake behind its counters. But when the tequila shots started going around, that's when the evening got fuzzy.  
  
Bits and pieces of memories floated into Kenshin's head as he remained in the darkness beneath his pillow. Women draped all over the four men, much to their dismay. Not that they didn't like women. But none of them liked slimy women who were trying their best to get into drunken men's pants, as well as their wallets. Of course, it was that exact type that thought they could use the four drunken men to their advantage.  
  
How wrong they were. As drunk as Kenshin, Katsu, Sano and Aoshi were, they knew what they liked in women, and what they didn't like. Plus Katsu and Sano had women of their own waiting for them back home. Neither man was one to stray, so the 'ladies' were asked, as politely as drunk-Sano could put it, to leave.  
  
Kenshin believed his actual words were "Take a hike, bimbos"  
  
More fragmented memories descended upon Kenshin's pounding brain.  
  
Dancing... Loud music.. More tequila...  
  
Kenshin's stomach finally decided to get in on the action and started rolling at the mere thought of booze. Yep, his body was defiantly pissed off with him. The hangover-from-hell was making sure to punish him as much as he could handle.  
  
Kenshin groaned into his pillow once again.  
  
Bright lights... Elvis impersonators...  
  
Kenshin smiled slightly at that thought. Vegas was defiantly known for its casino's and the strip. There were also the stereotypical Elvis Priestley impersonators. At first, Kenshin didn't believe that so many people dressed as the King, but how wrong he was. They were everywhere. So much so that even when he couldn't remember most of the previous night, a few impersonators managed to get remembered.  
  
The smile was short lived as Kenshin's stomach rolled again. This time, worse than before. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his stomach, and sooth his body.  
  
Yeah. right. His head pounded even harder and his stomach threatened to empty itself of whatever contents it had left.  
  
Judging from the bitter taste in his mouth, there wasn't much. Most of it must have been 'removed' the previous night. Judging from the taste, it left his body through the same path it went in.  
  
"Ugh. Why the hell did I drink so much?" Kenshin asked himself. His voice muffled by the pillow which was still pressed over his head.  
  
Blue eyes...  
  
Kenshin's heart skipped a beat.  
  
Blue eyes... long silky hair..  
  
Memories of someone from the previous night. Kenshin clung to the memory, trying desperately to remember the face. But to no avail. He remembered the eyes though.  
  
His heart skipped another beat.  
  
Blue soulful eyes. Emotions easily readable. Laughing blue eyes, sad blue eyes, tearful blue eyes. Kenshin felt like his whole being was drowning in the memory of those blue eyes. A lingering sensation he no doubt felt the moment he looked into those eyes.  
  
'Damn! Why can't I remember her face!?'  
  
His stomach rolled, his brain screeched to a halt.  
  
He was going to be sick.  
  
Not a moment's hesitation was taken on his part as he flung the sheets and blankets of the king sized bed off him and practically ran to the bathroom. He reached the porcelain god in time and started praying.  
  
'I am never drinking again.'  
  
Of course, he had thought those words before. Never really listened to them. Hence his current predicament.  
  
After several minutes of being sick, he started to feel slightly better. Only hangovers could be this cruel. Make one sick enough to lose his lunch, a rather disgusting act, only to make him feel marginally better and long that he could lose his lunch again to prolong the 'feeling better' part!  
  
It was while he was feeling slightly better that he started noticing things. One, the fact that the taste in his mouth was appalling and he needed to get rid of it immediately, another was the fact that his long red hair which he usually kept neatly tied back was loose and flowing down his back, and finally, he wasn't wearing anything besides his black boxers.  
  
He shrugged it all off. The foul taste in his mouth was caused by the obvious. He rarely let his hair down, but in the case of extreme drunkenness, he usually pulled the elastic out to relieve any tension a single strand of hair would inflict on his scalp during his bout with the hangover-from-hell. The boxers. well he always slept in just his boxers.  
  
He grabbed for his toothbrush and the toothpaste and set about getting rid of the first problem. The bitter taste in his mouth was the easiest to get rid of. It was the pounding headache and the general feeling that someone had beaten the crap out of him that was hard to get rid of. A couple of Tylenol and a bottle of water would be a good start.  
  
Kenshin padded out of the large marble bathroom and made his way across the suite to the mini bar, intent on getting himself a bottle of water. He pushed aside his discarded shirt that he wore the night before as well as a white lacy bra and used the key to open the mini bar. Grabbing a bottle he closed the door and started back towards the bathroom.  
  
He froze.  
  
White lacy bra?  
  
He slowly turned back towards the mini bar. Sure enough, there was his shirt, and resting on it was a white.. Lacy.. Bra.  
  
Kenshin blinked.  
  
Toothbrush still in his mouth, a bottle of water in his hand, Kenshin slowly bent over and picked up the bra with his free hand.  
  
Kenshin blinked again.  
  
Very very slowly, his brain began to function again. He held the bra up and looked at it. White.. Lacy..  
  
His heart skipped a beat.  
  
He felt like he was moving in slow motion. He turned back towards the bed. All that greeted him was black hair strewn across the crisp white sheets; everything else was covered by the blankets he had thrown away from himself when he rushed to the bathroom.  
  
The bottle of water slipped from his limp hand and landed with a soft thump on the carpeted floor.  
  
'Okay.strange woman in my bed. Don't panic.'  
  
The white bra slipped from his other hand and fell to the floor.  
  
'Don't panic.'  
  
Kenshin resisted the urge to flee the scene before the woman woke up. Actually, he had a stronger urge and that was to crawl back into bed with the woman and wake her up. He shook his head viciously at that thought, only to jar whatever brain cells he had left. His head screamed in agony at the sudden movement and he gripped his hair tightly.  
  
Tylenol. water.  
  
Kenshin bent over and picked up the water bottle he had dropped.  
  
'Gods, I hope no one else woke up with a surprise.'  
  
He tiptoed over to his overnight bag and started searching as quietly as he could for the Tylenol he had packed.  
  
The woman on the bed shifted, her hair disappeared beneath the covers. Kenshin froze.  
  
'Don't panic!'  
  
His head throbbed, his stomach started heaving again. He continued his search.  
  
'Don't panic!'  
  
He found the painkillers and immediately popped open the cap and dumped out four capsules. He downed two and drank the entire bottle of water in one shot. He placed the other two on the table on his side of the bed. She was probably going to have a killer hangover too. At least, he hoped so. He hoped he hadn't gone and done anything extremely stupid.  
  
'Don't panic!!'  
  
His eyes caught sight of a folded piece of paper on the table. He picked it up, noting it was made of heavier paper, and unfolded it, wondering what the hell it could be. He caught his own name first. Then another name.  
  
"Kaoru Kamiya." he said softly.  
  
His heart skipped a beat as he said the name, and then looked at the lump on the bed that was the mystery woman. He looked back at the paper in his hands and froze.  
  
There, on the top of the sheet, written in nice calligraphy were the words "Certificate of Marriage".  
  
'PANIC!!!'  
TBC. ------------------  
  
Muhahahaha! Our poor little Kenshin. 


	2. A Forgotten Nightch2

Disclaimer: RK and all the characters don't belong to me. I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
A.N. Okay, here's chapter two. Sorry for the slight delay, I would've had it out sooner but when 8 family members descend upon you in 2 days, everything seems to get REALLY hectic. So I had to put off writing for a little while. I managed to get some 'alone' time to finish off this chapter. Of course it's like 1am and I'm in zombie mode, but THAT'S OKAY!  
  
R&R pls!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
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A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Okay, the attempt to not panic was in vain. Seeing those black words "Certificate of Marriage" seemed to inflict the opposite of not panicking. Kenshin gripped the document tightly in his shaking hand as he tried with all his might to comprehend the magnitude of this new piece of information.  
  
Wow. All those movies and TV shows about people getting drunk and getting married in Vegas are certainly looking more and more likely right about now.  
  
Kenshin's eyes skimmed over the document looking for anything. ANYTHING that might cause the simple piece of paper to be null and not binding.  
  
There wasn't.  
  
So, being a lawyer was proving to be useful at a time like this, unfortunately, he knew the law and the paper in his hands was totally, 100% legal.  
  
Yes, Kenshin Himura was a lawyer. Or as Sano liked to teasingly call him, 'a blood-sucking leech who only cares about the money'. HA! As if Kenshin was anything like that for real.  
  
'Okay Himura, WAY off course here. What are you going to do now?!'  
  
The body under the blankets moved, and a very low, very feminine, very sexy groan issued from underneath the pile.  
  
Kenshin stamped down the urge to climb into bed again.  
  
The blankets were moved and the girl sat up.  
  
Kaoru looked around the blurry room, taking in nothing except that her head was pounding and her stomach felt like it was ready to leap out of her mouth and run away screaming.  
  
"How much did I drink last night?" she mumbled, placing a hand over her eyes to block out the painful brightness. "Misao, please please order some coffee from room service? I really need some."  
  
"Uhm.." Was the reply. A very masculine reply.  
  
Kaoru's eyes snapped open and looked at the man standing at the other side of the bed. He had flaming red hair which hung loose down his back. He wore not a stitch of clothing save the black boxer-briefs and he held a piece of paper tightly in his hands.  
  
If she hadn't been absolutely shocked and frightened at the strange man at her bedside, she would have thought he was downright yummy and invited him into bed.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened to the size of saucers and Kenshin watched as her shoulders rose. She was taking a deep breath and preparing to let out what would most likely be the loudest scream to ever be heard in the world. Only one thought crossed his mind as he watched her reaction. Screaming wouldn't be taken lightly in a Hotel.  
  
In a lightening quick movement, Kenshin dropped the marriage certificate and leapt onto the bed. His hand clamped down over Kaoru's mouth, stopping her scream and his other gripped her bare shoulder.  
  
'Oh GOD! He's going to kill me!' Kaoru's mind screamed as she looked up at the man with wide frightened eyes.  
  
Kenshin inwardly winced at the look on her face. He didn't want to frighten the poor thing, just make sure she didn't scream and bring the entire hotel security as well as the police and whatever other law enforcement agency bursting into his room.  
  
"Please, don't be frightened Kaoru. I swear on everything I hold holy that I will not hurt you in any way. Just please don't scream." Kenshin whispered. He couldn't seem to find the volume control on his voice at the moment. Well, he could, but he knew if he raised his voice above a whisper not only would his head pound and would he become violently ill again, but from the looks of it, Kaoru was suffering just as much as he was.  
  
Last thing he wanted was to increase the look of pain in her beautiful blue eyes.  
  
Wait. beautiful??  
  
Kenshin shook his head, ridding his mind of the thoughts he had begun to think as he looked at the woman before him. SHE was the owner of the blue eyes and the long silky hair from his fragmented memories.  
  
She was absolutely stunning. Her eyes spoke volumes, as if Kenshin could look into them and see directly into her beautiful soul. Her long midnight black hair was strewn about her, some tendrils were splayed across the white pillowcase and sheets of the bed, her skin was soft and painfully smooth under Kenshin's hand. Her lips. Kenshin wanted nothing more than to remove his hand from her mouth and claim her lips with his own.  
  
At least he drunkenly married a very desirable woman.  
  
'ARGH! I shouldn't be thinking like that!'  
  
"I'll remove my hand if you don't scream, deal?" Kenshin said softly. Kaoru nodded. Kenshin slowly removed his hands from her and sat back on the bed, not touching her at all.  
  
Kaoru gathered the sheets up around her neck as she surveyed the man sitting before her.  
  
Oh yes, he was unbelievable gorgeous. There didn't seem to be an ounce of fat on his finely toned body. His hands had been callused and rough, but very gentle when he touched her. The mere memory of his touch sent shivers down her spine. She could tell just from the brief contact that he was a very strong man, physically, despite his smaller stature. His deep amethyst eyes caused her breath to be caught in her throat as he gazed at her. His soft voice, so soothing, so gentle, saying her name..  
  
Hold the phone! Saying her name?!  
  
"How do you know my name?! What are you doing in my hotel room?! Who are you?!" Kaoru exclaimed. She almost shouted, but the moment she started speaking her head started screaming at her to shut up. Kaoru winced and put her hand over her eyes again.  
  
She was obviously hung over. And she was experiencing a very painful hangover. Kenshin sighed and left the bed and walked over to the mini bar where he fished out another bottle of water. He walked back to the bed, scooped up the two Tylenol on the bedside table and presented the water and painkillers to Kaoru.  
  
She took one look at the items in his hands and took them gratefully.  
  
"Thank you." she murmured.  
  
"My name is Kenshin Himura. I think we met last night, but please forgive me, I don't remember much." Kenshin said as he watched Kaoru take the tablets and drink some of the water.  
  
Kaoru squinted up at the man. She didn't remember much of the previous night either, but somewhere in the back of her pounding head, she remembered his eyes.  
  
Laughing eyes, glittering eyes, amber eyes..  
  
Amber? But his eyes were amethyst, not amber! Who the hell owns amber eyes anyways?!  
  
"Kenshin." she said softly, staring down at the water in her hands.  
  
Kenshin's heart skipped a familiar beat when his name passed her lips. God, if his heart continued the way it was, it would probably stop beating pretty soon, fed up with the strange abuse it was getting this morning.  
  
Stamping down the urge to kiss her, AGAIN, Kenshin swallowed and lowered down to his knees at the side of the bed. He avoided getting on the bed so he wouldn't scare her into thinking he wanted something different.  
  
"We're not in your room, Kaoru. We're in mine." Kenshin said softly, blushing slightly and playing with some of the fabric of the sheets.  
  
Kaoru's head snapped up and looked around the room again, this time taking in her surroundings. Yeah, she was defiantly not in her own room. She dropped the sheets and blankets as she surveyed her surroundings. The room was magnificent. Decorative wallpaper, paintings, a bar, a living area, a huge bathroom that looked like it was made entirely out of marble, and one huge ass king-sized bed.  
  
"And you're not wearing anything on top." Kenshin added, bowing his head and hiding his blush beneath his thick red bangs.  
  
Flushing a bright red in embarrassment, Kaoru snatched the blankets back up, covering herself once again.  
  
'Oh God, in a stranger's room with nothing on. This is so unbelievably embarrassing I could die right here!' she thought.  
  
What had they DONE?!  
  
A thought suddenly struck Kaoru. For one, she knew she had been far too drunk the previous night to be able to do anything like doing. IT with Kenshin. But for another, she knew without a doubt that she had been far too drunk to even undress herself! Which meant...  
  
"Kenshin you jerk!!" she screamed picking up her pillow and flinging it at the poor unsuspecting red-head. It connected and sent him reeling. The already pounding headache exploded into a blazing inferno within his skull.  
  
"Oro!" he exclaimed and scrambled to get out of the swinging pillow's path before it connected again.  
  
"You perverted old man! You dragged me to your room just to undress me and heaven only knows what else you had in store! How dare you! I ought to call the police! Pervert!!" she screamed. She ignored the pain in her head as she crawled off the bed and advanced on poor Kenshin. She ignored his attempts to escape. She even ignored the look of pain on his face that told her he was just as hung over as she was. All she paid attention to was the fact that she was partially undressed and she needed to blame someone.  
  
Kenshin turned out to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
  
Isn't THAT the understatement of the year?  
  
"M-Miss Kaoru! Please! Stop! I'm no pervert! I didn't 'drag' you to my room to have my way with.. wait a second! OLD?! What do you mean old!?" Kenshin exclaimed. Okay, he wasn't a vain man. But when you're only 32 years old and some wisp of a. a. girl!... calls you 'old' you tend to want to defend yourself.  
  
Kaoru whacked him with the pillow again. This time, he grabbed it and stopped her onslaught. He easily took the pillow from her grasp and threw it back onto the bed. She kept her position directly before him, and she was glaring up. She wasn't as tall as Kenshin, he had a few inches on her.  
  
Thank God.  
  
Kenshin was really sick of women being taller than him.  
  
'Once again Himura, WAY off topic!'  
  
"You are nothing more than a perverted OLD man!" Kaoru yelled, emphasizing the 'old' part especially since it seemed to grate on his nerves a lot.  
  
"I am not old, girl! I may be older than you but I'm in no way a perverted old man!" Kenshin replied.  
  
"Then tell me, Kenshin, why is it that I'm only partially dressed when I KNOW I was too drunk to undress myself last night. Which means YOU must have!" Kaoru jabbed a finger into Kenshin's chest. Her other hand remained fisted in the white bed sheet she had wrapped about herself and dragged with her when she attacked the unsuspecting man.  
  
Kenshin threw up his hands in frustration.  
  
"Granted, I probably did help you remove your clothes last night, but I can guarantee you that I was also far too drunk to undress MYSELF! Which means, Miss Kaoru, that YOU must have helped me!"  
  
Kaoru froze, and Kenshin had the great delight to watch her face turn a very becoming red. Her hand dropped away from his chest and she hung her head.  
  
"Oh God, what did we do last night?" she whispered. Kenshin sighed and hung his head. How the hell was he supposed to tell her that they were married?! She wasn't too happy with finding herself next to a strange man when she woke up! He just introduced himself to his WIFE for crying out loud!  
  
'Geeze, now I know what it felt like for men from the middle-ages when they were forced into an arranged marriage. Hours AFTER the wedding, the couple are formally introduced..' Kenshin thought.  
  
"Do you remember much from last night, Kaoru?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Only fragmented memories. there was a lot of booze. I remember Misao. I remember loud music." she trailed off. She slowly raised her eyes, starting at his feet and working her way up his body until she found herself staring into his unbelievable amethyst eyes.  
  
The urge to melt into his arms and experience what, she was willing to bet her whole life on, would be the most phenomenal kiss, she would ever be a part of, was overwhelming.  
  
In a completely unconscious gesture, she raised her hand and gently brushed the tips of her fingers against his left cheek. She didn't know why, she couldn't help herself.  
  
He watched her intently, not moving at all, barely breathing and just enjoying her fingers on his face.  
  
Somehow it just felt.. right..  
  
"I remember your eyes. I remember them the most." Kaoru whispered. Kenshin slowly reached up and clasped her fingers in his left hand. He raised his right and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.  
  
"I remember your eyes too." he whispered huskily.  
  
What had possessed either of them to act as they were was unknown. Both man and woman were completely out of their regular characters while in each others company. Standing in the middle of a very expensive hotel room staring into each others eyes while wearing next to nothing seemed so unbelievably natural for them both. it was hard to explain.  
  
All of Kenshin's resolve to keep his hands off the girl had crumbled when she had reached out a tentative hand to touch his face. Her soft fingers against his cheek soothed any pain his body was experiencing, and everything around him seemed to melt away. As if they existed in a world for just the two of them. His hand, that had brushed her hair aside, brushed lightly over her cheek. He cupped her face and found that his hand was pulling her towards him.  
  
Kaoru felt the pull, whether it was from his warm, callused hand on her face or if it was some unknown force pulling her towards the strange red- head, she didn't know. Nor did she care. All she knew was that she wanted this man to kiss her, and damn the consequences.  
  
Her eyelids slid closed as she tilted her head to receive his kiss. As Kenshin nosed forward to kiss Kaoru, his eyelids shut of their own accord.  
  
It was in this compromising position of partial-dress, closeness, and near kiss that Sano decided to barge in.  
  
"Good morning my frie.." Sano began to bellow, only to have his words die in his throat.  
  
Kenshin, Mr. Responsible, Mr. Dependable, Mr. Lets-think-everything- through-before-acting, Mr. I-don't-have-time-for-a-woman-in-my-life, was standing near his kind-size bed wearing nothing but his boxers and was leaning in to kiss a woman wrapped only in a white bedsheet.  
  
Sano's mouth dropped and he gaped openly at the sight. If his jaw hadn't been attached to his head, it would surely have been resting comfortably on the floor at that moment.  
  
Kenshin immediately broke away from Kaoru, leaping back almost as if he had been burned. Kaoru flushed a brilliant red and bowed her head. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.  
  
'What the hell has gotten into you Kamiya!' her mind screamed at her.  
  
Kenshin on the other hand was mentally yelling at himself for taking advantage of the situation.  
  
But then again... she didn't try to stop him in any way......  
  
"Holy shit man. You two were pretty hot and heavy last night, but I didn't think you were THAT hot and heavy! Way to go Kenshin!" Sano exclaimed. "Oh, and you too Missy. If not for you, our little Kenshin here would still be his regular cold-fish self."  
  
Kaoru's head snapped up at Sano's use of 'Missy' on her. More fragmented memories entered her head. Visions of this man talking about a bachelor party and offering to treat her and Misao to drinks.  
  
"Sanosuke. You're name is Sanosuke." Kaoru said thoughtfully as she stared at the brown-haired man in the room. Sano grinned and walked over to the flustered couple and sat down on the bed.  
  
"So you didn't drink as much as I thought if you remember me. So, was he good?"  
  
Sano lived to tease Kenshin.  
  
"Sano!" Kenshin barked. He was in no mood to deal with his friend's teasing. First off, he was deathly ill with a hangover-from-hell, and secondly, Sano had walked in and shattered his opportunity to kiss his wife..err.. Kaoru.  
  
"I did drink a lot last night, I just barely remember you, Sanosuke. I remember your name, and the fact that you bought me and Misao drinks." Kaoru replied haughtily, intentionally ignoring his question.  
  
"Aww, that's too bad, I wanted to know what happened to you two. We lost you about 9ish last night. I never figured I'd find you guys here this morning! Although from how you too were looking at each other, and everything. MAN! It's a wonder the place didn't catch fire!!" Sano said happily.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru glanced at each other blushing crimson red. Kenshin matched his hair perfectly.  
  
Sano leaned down, still smiling at his new found piece of information on his buddy and the girl, and fished the folded piece of paper on the floor by the bed.  
  
"Judging from the pieces of clothes in the other room, and the state of the bed, you guys had some fun last night!" Sano smirked. He absolutely LOVED torturing the lawyer.  
  
He loved Kenshin like a brother, and he knew that his company would never have been very successful if not for Kenshin's legal advice and expertise. However, the red-head never socialized. He never went out. He worked, he ate, he slept. He was a machine.  
  
Half the reason why Sano wanted to go to Vegas was to guarantee that Kenshin and Aoshi wouldn't work for one full weekend. He had every intention of breaking the cool exterior of Aoshi and shattering Kenshin's monotonous, boring, SEX-LESS, life.  
  
Now he was sitting on Kenshin's bed watching the two mostly nude people as they blushed furiously and scrambled to remember what they had done the night before. Sano wasn't about to tell them he knew they were too drunk to get it on... watching them both and teasing them both was way too much fun.  
  
'Mission one accomplished. I wonder what kind of compromising situation I'll find Aoshi in? Better get outta here quick.' Sano thought as he unfolded the paper.  
  
He was vaguely aware of both Kenshin and the Missy yelling at him. But all his attentions were placed on the single piece of paper that explained what happened to his friend after 9pm the previous night.  
  
'Certificate of Marriage'  
  
The words practically screamed off the page. Sano felt his eyes widen in total shock.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru had turned their backs to Sano, so they didn't see him staring at the paper. The just continued to yell at him until..  
  
"YOU TWO GOT HITCHED?!?!" Sano yelled.  
  
________________________________  
  
A.N. Okay, I'm having WAY too much fun with this one. I'm so evil to Kenshin. And I love Sano too much to let him miss an opportunity to embarrass the hell out of K&K.  
  
Anyways, thanks everyone who reviewed! Much appreciated! This new chapter is dedicated to you guys :D You made me want to write more. I just hope you like it.  
  
R&R this chappie, thankie!  
  
^_^ 


	3. A Forgotten Nightch3

Disclaimer: RK not mine. Blah.  
  
A.N. Here's chapter three! Sorry for the delay but I just finished finals so I was busy with them. But not anymore! I should be updating a lot faster now. It all depends on my life and how hectic it becomes. ANYWAYS!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
___________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Kenshin visibly winced. His shoulders hunched as he turned towards his shocked friend.  
  
Kaoru felt like a large bucket of cold water was dumped over her when she heard Sano yell out the word 'hitched'. She whirled around to see the tall man sitting on the edge of the huge bed with a piece of paper in his hands. The same piece of paper Kenshin had been holding moments before. She stalked over to the man and snatched the paper out of his hand.  
  
Certificate of Marriage.  
  
Kenshin Himura.  
  
Kaoru Kamiya.  
  
The only things that stood out to Kaoru were the calligraphy written words.  
  
She was married.  
  
"Oh my God." she whispered, looking over the paper. She had married some STRANGER! "OH MY GOD!"  
  
She was panicking. Not that Kenshin could blame her. She had just been delivered a rather shocking blow. Yesterday she had been single, today she's married to some strange red-head. Waking up next to a stranger was bad enough. Finding out you were married to said stranger was even worse!  
  
"Kaoru! Don't panic!" Kenshin said soothingly.  
  
"Don't panic? DON'T PANIC!? Don't tell me not to panic! I'll panic all I want you jerk! I married some stranger last night for God only knows what reasons!" Kaoru shouted. Obviously the painkillers had taken effect, either that or women really WERE better at resisting pain then men because each word she yelled caused Kenshin to winch and grip his head in agony.  
  
"Okay! Okay! Panic! But please! I beg of you! Stop shouting!" Kenshin exclaimed. He seriously needed this girl to stop shouting or else his brains would ooze out of his ears and tell him off.  
  
"Stop SHOUTING! Why should I stop shouting, HUSBAND?" Kaoru yelled. She too was in a lot of pain, but the bit about her being married had thrown all thoughts and physical aches out the window as panic took root in her person. She didn't care if she was shouting, she was MARRIED!  
  
Kenshin winced again. Her use of the word 'Husband' combined with her tone made it seem like a profanity.  
  
"Kaoru, please don't yell, I can fix this!" Kenshin pleaded again.  
  
"Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru! You know my name! You knew it when I woke up! You did this! You forced me to marry you, you old pervert!" Kaoru yelled, ignoring the pained expression on her husband's face as well as the 'I can fix this' statement.  
  
"Hey! I am NOT an old pervert, girl! I didn't force you into anything I'll have you know! So don't go pointing fingers at me and trying to blame me for all this! You were willing as well, or need I remind you about my current state of dress?" Kenshin replied, the 'old pervert' remark brought him back into a fight with her.  
  
'Geeze, she calls me an old pervert and I feel compelled to defend myself!' Kenshin thought.  
  
"I am NOT taking any blame for this. You knew my name! You probably remember most of last night, don't you!? What happened?! Where are my clothes? Why did you force me to marry you, you old pervert!?" she yelled, throwing the insult back. She knew it pissed him off, but she didn't care. She also knew fully well that he wasn't an old pervert. If he had been, she would have woken up to him crawling all over her, either that or he would have ravished her at the first opportunity.  
  
No, Kenshin Himura was certainly not an old pervert. He had been nothing but a gentleman since she woke up.  
  
"Hey! I did not force you to marry me!" Kenshin repeated. "You're name is on the marriage certificate! That's how I knew it! I DON'T remember much of last night, and I certainly don't know where your clothes are!"  
  
It was Sano's hysterical laughter that brought them both back to reality. The newlyweds stopped yelling and turned to the brunette as he rolled on the bed, clutching his sides and roaring with laughter.  
  
"What the hell are you laughing at Sano?!" two voices yelled. Kenshin and Kaoru glared at the man on the bed as he tried in vain to control his hysterics.  
  
"You'd never say you guys were newlyweds! You two can't seem to stop arguing! Now c'mon! That's not how a couple on their honeymoon should act. Now kiss and make up!" Sano said grinning like an idiot. Kenshin and Kaoru didn't hesitate for one moment when they both grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the man.  
  
Sano leapt off the bed and dodged an empty bottle of water that Kaoru had thrown, but was hit squarely in the head with some soft fabric. He pulled the white bra off his head and looked at it.  
  
Kaoru flushed a brilliant red when she realized what Kenshin had picked up and thrown.  
  
Kenshin merely groaned and covered his eyes with his hands at his own folly.  
  
Sano burst out into laughter again. He twirled the bra around one finger and shoved his free hand into one of his pockets.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone now. I gotta find Aoshi. I certainly hope my encounter with him will be just as fun!" Sano exclaimed. He threw the bra and Kenshin and without thinking, Kenshin caught it. "Here, have fun with your wife! Take care of your hubby, missy, if you know what I mean." He winked at the couple and left the room.  
  
Kenshin stared at the door Sano had just left through and sighed. He turned back to his.... gulp..... wife. She turned her eyes from the door, and looked at him. He flushed red as he handed her the bra. Kaoru suppressed a groan of her own as she embarrassingly took her bra from the man.  
  
"I'm sorry." he said softly. Kaoru shook her head and clutched the sheet close.  
  
"I'm sorry, you're not a perverted old man. You've been nothing but a gentleman towards me and I've behaved appallingly towards you. Please forgive me?" Kaoru said softly. She had been looking down at her feet where they peaked out from under the sheet, but at her apology she turned her eyes back towards Kenshin's.  
  
Kenshin's breath caught in his chest and his heart skipped a beat. She was a sight to behold. Midnight black hair tumbled down her back and over one of her exposed shoulders. Her blue eyes screamed sincerity and apologies. It was in that brief fleeting moment that Kenshin truly wished they had married under better circumstances so he could take her in his arms and kiss away her troubles and her apology.  
  
"Don't apologise. You had every right to react in that way. It was a huge shock for me too. But don't worry, we'll fix it."  
  
"Fix it?" Kaoru asked dumbly. Finding herself married was a shock indeed, but for some strange reason, she didn't view it as something that needed to be fixed. And as the saying goes 'If it's not broken, don't fix it'.  
  
'ACK! Kamiya! How dare you think like that!' her conscious screamed at her.  
  
"We'll get an annulment. It's easier that way." Kenshin said. Even as the logical words crossed his lips, he felt a pang of something akin to heartache shoot through his chest.  
  
Annulment.... as if the marriage didn't exist.  
  
"Annulment?" Kaoru asked dumbly... AGAIN.  
  
"Well, we didn't...... ahem..... consummate.... so.... uhm.... yeah, an annulment." Kenshin said, flushing a brilliant red, his face rivalling his hair. Kaoru blushed at his implication and lowered her eyes.  
  
There was a very long, very uncomfortable silence between the pair.  
  
"Uhm.... well.... it will take a few days to get all this straightened out. And well.... I was sort of wondering, that is..... if you'd... I don't know... like to grab breakfast? Or something? But that's only if you want to! I mean we don't have to, you may not want to associate with me anymore and I would fully understand...." Kenshin stammered out.  
  
'What's WRONG with me? I'm acting like a silly school boy asking his crush out for sodas!' Kenshin thought.  
  
"I'd like that." Kaoru said softly. Kenshin's eyes shot up from the floor, where they had glued themselves as he stumbled over his invitation, to the woman before him. She was smiling!  
  
She had a beautiful smile.  
  
Kenshin wanted to kiss her... BADLY.  
  
"I would really like to get to know my husband." Kaoru joked. Kenshin smiled at her.  
  
"I'd really like to get to know my beautiful wife, too." Kenshin replied.  
  
'Wait... beautiful? Did I say that out loud!?'  
  
Kaoru blushed and lowered her eyes again.  
  
'Yep. I did.'  
  
Kenshin cleared his throat.  
  
"Uhm... well, if you'd like to get a shower or something you're welcome to use ours. I mean! Mine! Mine. My shower!" Kenshin stumbled over his words again. Kaoru giggled a little at him and his very endearing stammering.  
  
"Thanks, but I need to change clothes, so I should go to my room. What if we meet in the lobby in an hour?" Kaoru suggested. Kenshin smiled and nodded.  
  
So Kaoru managed to maintain her composure in a situation like the one she was in. Kenshin, on the other hand, turned into a bumbling idiot who couldn't string a simple sentence together. Completely out of character for someone who was always in control.  
  
But it was only proof that there was something about the woman before him. She was special; Kenshin could feel it, deep within his heart. There was something there. Something he couldn't put his finger on. All he knew was that he wanted to know the woman before him more than he wanted to breathe.  
  
"Okay... then... I'll go get ready..... I'll meet you downstairs in an hour?" she asked.  
  
"Right.... an hour." Kenshin said.  
  
"Now, seriously, where are my clothes?" Kaoru asked, dangling her bra on one finger and smirking at her new husband.  
  
'May as well make light of a rather amusing situation when you think about it', she thought.  
  
Kenshin blushed at the bra, again, and turned about himself to scan the room. The only other article of clothing he could see was his shirt. He went over and picked it up off the floor and slipped it on, rather than carry it about. It was his favourite casual dress shirt, navy blue, button- up, collared shirt. However, upon closer inspection all the buttons were missing.  
  
He smirked at the implications and followed Kaoru's lead at making light of the situation.  
  
"I think someone was a little eager last night." he said, grinning, as he turned to Kaoru and pointed out the missing buttons. Kaoru had come up behind him and noticed the missing buttons. She flushed a brilliant red at his words and gently smacked him on the arm.  
  
"I'll buy you a new one." she said, bending over and picking up a button that was on the floor. Kenshin merely grinned and looked down at the shirt again.  
  
"Actually, don't. I like it better this way." He winked at his wife and turned to exit the room. Kaoru took the momentary opportunity to let her eyes rove over his body. The muscles of his chest and stomach were still exposed, but the blue that framed his body suited him perfectly. He was so unbelievably sexy with his red hair cascading down his back only to be a sharp contrast to the darkness of his shirt.  
  
Make no wonder she had been 'hot and heavy' with him the night before. At least according to Sano.  
  
"Me too." she said softly. Kenshin pretended not to hear her, or notice her eyes as they roamed over his form, but he did, and it took every ounce of self control to keep him from tearing the sheet away from her and making love to her on the floor.  
  
Kaoru followed him out into the living room area and was shocked once again at the elegance and size of the suite she had woken up in. It was a full living room area, complete with a fireplace, couches, tables, and off to the side was the dining area. The first thing she noticed was something blue draped over the back of the couch. She picked it up and discovered it was what left of her favourite blue shirt.  
  
From the looks of it, it had been torn off. She smirked, just like Kenshin had moments before, and turned to him, holding her ruined shirt out before her.  
  
"You were saying something about someone being eager?" she asked innocently. Kenshin had crouched to pick up his pants which were at rest by the door that lead to the hotel hallway when he heard her speaking. He turned to see her holding a piece of blue..... fabric.  
  
Memories flooded his mind.... Kaoru pressed fully against him, her hands seeking inside his shirt..... Growling in frustration and passion as he ripped blue fabric from her shoulders....  
  
Her lips....  
  
Kenshin shook his head.  
  
"Apparently, we're both guilty of being eager." he replied sheepishly, blushing slightly. Kaoru giggled and turned to look for her skirt.  
  
In a matter of minutes, their clothing from the night before had been found, as well as some more of Kenshin's buttons and the remaining pieces of Kaoru's shirt. The couple laughed about it but were extremely embarrassed at the same time.  
  
Kaoru slipped into the bathroom to put on whatever clothes she still possessed and make use of the facilities. Her lack of shirt bothered her only momentarily, but remembering the face that Kenshin had already seen her topless, plus the complete trust she had developed towards the man in the half hour since she woke up, she left the bathroom wearing only her bra and skirt.  
  
"I need to borrow one of your shirts." Kaoru said, grinning. Kenshin turned to her voice once again, away from his overnight bag where he had been looking for a change of clothes, and froze.  
  
'Oh.... my.... God....'  
  
Kenshin's mouth ran dry and he turned away once again. He rummaged through his bag and hauled out a pair of jeans and held them out to her.  
  
Kaoru looked at the jeans in confusion.  
  
"I said a shirt."  
  
"Oh... right."  
  
Kenshin held out a pair of socks.  
  
"Just give me the one you're wearing."  
  
She watched as he held out a pair of black boxers. Sighing, she grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him to his feet. He dumbly followed her actions and turned to face her. She grabbed both edges of his gaping shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, dragging the material down his arms and following the movement of his shirt with her eyes.  
  
'If I die now, I'd be very happy', Kaoru thought as she drank in his appearance.  
  
The cuffs cleared his wrists, signifying his shirt had been completely removed, when in a lightning fast movement, Kenshin grabbed both Kaoru's wrists with his hands.  
  
At that point, Kaoru had weak knees and a bad case of dry mouth and it wasn't because of the hangover. Her heart leapt to her throat when she felt his strong hands clutch her wrists. She stared at his hands and allowed her gaze to travel up his muscled arms to his face. She was met with amber eyes burning with desire.  
  
Amber eyes....  
  
Kaoru audibly gasped.  
  
Memories.... Kenshin.... his face buried in her neck, his lips moving over her skin.... amber eyes staring at her in hunger.... her own moan of pleasure as she pressed herself fully against him....  
  
Amber eyes....  
  
Kenshin moved slowly, bringing Kaoru's hands up and wrapping her arms around his neck. He released her wrists and traced his fingers down her arms, over her shoulders and pressed his hands firmly against the small of her back, dragging her to press firmly against him.  
  
Kaoru was frozen. She didn't move, nor did she break eye contact with Kenshin. She couldn't, even if her life depended on it.  
  
"You are so beautiful." Kenshin growled huskily and moved to capture her lips with his own.  
  
"Hey! Kenshin! I can't find Aoshi!" Sano exclaimed, bursting into the suite and disrupting the couple again.  
  
Sano's presence was like a bucket of cold water on the pair. Once again, they leapt away from each other, blushing furiously. Kaoru quickly donned the navy shirt and grabbed her shoes.  
  
"I'll meet you in an hour downstairs." she said to Kenshin and practically fled the room before she threw herself at him again.  
  
The two men stared at the door in silence.  
  
Sano turned to his friend, another huge grin plastered to his face.  
  
Kenshin glared at his friend.  
  
"Give me that spare key you have so I can ram it down your throat." Kenshin growled.  
  
Sano threw back his head in laughter.  
  
"Oh man, this is too good! Where's Aoshi? I have GOT to find him!"  
  
Kenshin growled again and stalked off towards the bathroom leaving his friend, and boss, in the bedroom still laughing his head off.  
  
Kaoru fled down the hallway towards the elevators as fast as she could. Part of her was shocked at her actions minutes beforehand. She didn't even wander around in her bra at HOME let alone in front of people. Had she been trying to entice him??  
  
Yes.... yes she had.  
  
Part of her wanted to go back, tell Sano off, and then have her way with her red-headed husband.  
  
Part of her was still shell-shocked.  
  
The memories, for every passing second she was with Kenshin, memories had cropped up, brief instances from the night before.  
  
"What happened last night?" she whispered to herself.  
  
She rode the elevator down a few floors to the 14th where she was staying with her best friend. She needed Misao. There had been too much going on the night before, maybe Misao remembered.  
  
She exited the elevator and ran down the hall to her room. Ignoring the 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging on the doorknob Kaoru fumbled with the key-card. She inserted it in the lock, the light turned green and she burst into her room.  
  
There was no one there.  
  
The double bed closest to the door was a mess and the sheets were thrown off and bunched on the floor. Misao had defiantly been there, she was a tosser. Her bed was always a mess in the mornings.  
  
The next thing Kaoru noticed was that the shower was going. She needed to talk to her friend, BADLY, so she entered into the bathroom. She opened her mouth to call out to her friend but froze.  
  
There were two people in the shower, Kaoru could make out the silhouettes behind the shower curtain. But it was Misao's impassioned moan 'Aoshi' that caused Kaoru to clamp her mouth closed and exit the bathroom immediately.  
  
Closing the door to the bathroom silently, she leaned against the wood and covered her mouth with her hands. Only one thought crossed her mind.  
  
'I have GOT to find Sano!!!'  
  
_________________________  
  
A.N. Oh me, Oh my.  
  
Okay, for some reason, I'm not that happy with this chapter. I've got a bad case of writers block but I did get the basics out there. I'm trying to keep this as funny as possible but it's kinda hard at times, especially when I want to write K&K romantic/passionate crap. Well, not crap, but you know.  
  
Note: this will NOT become a lemon. There will be lots of innuendos, kissing, sexual tension, but I won't write a lemon.  
  
Also, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Katsu, he'll pop up in the next chapter.  
  
I hope you still like this!  
  
R&R pls! 


	4. A Forgotten Nightch4

Disclaimer: I would give my right arm to own RK, but alas, I do not.  
  
A.N. Woot! Chapter four! I hope it's alright. Not QUITE as funny as some of the previous chapters have been, but still a decent chapter I guess.  
  
All you writers know how it is, you're your own worst critic.  
  
Anyways, enjoy, R&R!  
  
Cheers!  
  
_______________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Kaoru silently slipped out of her hotel room and clutched Kenshin's shirt close to her. In the safety of the hallway she allowed herself to burst out laughing.  
  
Misao had herself a little shower buddy.... a shower buddy that goes by the name 'Aoshi'.  
  
Unless there was another Aoshi in the hotel, which Kaoru highly doubted, then she had unwittingly stumbled upon the man Sano had been searching for.  
  
"Small world." Kaoru murmured through giggles.  
  
Kaoru pushed herself away from the door of her room and scampered back to the elevators. She just HAD to get Sano down there! She didn't want to be the only one who was embarrassed by the tall rooster-head that morning!  
  
Seconds later, she was back in the elevator and heading up to her husband's room again.  
  
Kenshin showered quickly. Even though he had an hour before he had to meet Kaoru, he still wanted to grill Sano on any information regarding his drunken actions the previous night. Plus he wanted to know why Sano was so damn cheery when he SHOULD have been just as hung over.  
  
"Damn rooster-head." Kenshin mumbled as he stepped out of the shower. He quickly towel dried himself and slipped on one of the hotel's terry robes before exiting the cold bathroom.  
  
It was cold because he had taken a cold shower.  
  
He had taken a cold shower because he couldn't get the fragmented memories out of his head, nor could he rid himself of the scenes he had the pleasure to be a part of that morning.  
  
Kaoru felt undeniably right in his arms. She belonged there, she belonged with him.  
  
She belonged to him.  
  
Kenshin shook his head again. That woman called upon his most primitive instincts. He had NEVER felt the same amount of passion, need, longing, possession, or desire, EVER. But Kaoru invoked those emotions in him just from a single heated look from her deep blue eyes.  
  
When she had removed his shirt, her eyes roving over his chest and arms, he felt all restraint fall away and couldn't stop himself when he crushed her to him. GOD she was beautiful.  
  
"Stop it Kenshin! At this rate you'll need another cold shower!" he growled to himself as he stepped out of the bathroom.  
  
"Whoa man, she's got your panties in a twist!" Sano called out to his glowering friend, grinning like an idiot. Kenshin shot a glare towards Sano and went to his bag to get his jeans and shirt.  
  
"Not that I don't blame you, she was one fine piece of woman. I bet she's a demon in the sack!" Sano exclaimed. He was purposely baiting his friend. He wanted to see just how much Kenshin felt towards the missy. Judging from the hungry expression he had seen on Kenshin's face when he burst into the suite the second time, there was something changing in the cool red- head.  
  
Sano was right.  
  
The words pissed Kenshin for some strange reason; he turned angry amber eyes towards Sano.  
  
"That's my wife you're talking about, Sagara!" Kenshin growled.  
  
Sano blinked.  
  
Kenshin blinked.  
  
Both men were momentarily shocked at Kenshin's reaction.  
  
"You just called her your wife."  
  
"I know." Kenshin replied, shocked. Why had he done that? That possessiveness he had felt earlier had bounded out at Sano's provocation, causing Kenshin to snap at his friend.  
  
Kenshin shook his head, clearing his thoughts again, and turned back to find the rest of his clothes.  
  
"Hey Kenshin! Sano!" Katsu called from the living room.  
  
'How many of these idiots have a key to my room anyways?!' Kenshin thought.  
  
"In here Katsu!" Sano called. Katsu strode into the room, hands in his pockets. He grinned at the rumpled bedclothes, as well as the pieces of a woman's blue shirt that was strewn on the bed. Kaoru had left them.  
  
"Have a wild night last night, Himura? You lucky dog you! She was one fine specimen. If I didn't have my lovely girlfriend back home I'd have tried for her!" Katsu said grinning. Sano tried all in his power to stop his best friend from shoving his foot in his mouth a pissing the small red-head off, but failed.  
  
Kenshin whirled around, amber-eyed once again, and glared at a shocked Katsu.  
  
"Stay away from her, she's mine!"  
  
Katsu blinked.  
  
Sano blinked.  
  
Kenshin blinked.  
  
"You did it again." Sano said.  
  
"I know." Kenshin replied, once again totally shocked at his reaction.  
  
There was a sudden pounding on the door. Kenshin hauled on his jeans and tossed the robe on the bed. Grabbing a towel he started to dry his hair as he made his way to the door.  
  
Kaoru pounded on the door, breathless and anxious. Her heart pounded with anticipation. She couldn't WAIT to set Sano loose on Misao and Aoshi.  
  
He heart wasn't pounding with the prospect of seeing Kenshin again. No sir- ee, not one bit....  
  
Well.... maybe just a little....  
  
The door was hauled open to reveal a wet Kenshin.  
  
'Hello nurse.....' Kaoru thought, and then mentally berated herself. 'Bad Kaoru! No! Naughty girl! Bad!'  
  
"Kenshin! Where's Sano!! I HAVE to see him!" she exclaimed she moved to grab his shirt collar to emphasize her need to see Sano, but since he wasn't wearing one, she ended up placing her hands on his chest.  
  
Excuses, excuses.... She just wanted to put her hands on his chest.  
  
"Oro? Sano?" Kenshin asked dumbly. Kaoru still wore her skirt and his shirt. Her hands were warm against his chest. Kenshin gripped the towel draped over his neck to prevent himself from hauling her into his arms again.  
  
"Missy? What are you doing back? Should we leave you two alone?" Sano asked as he sauntered out of the bedroom. Katsu followed him closely behind with the marriage certificate clutched in his hands. Sano has just informed him of the latest and greatest on Kenshin's love life.  
  
Kaoru turned to Sano, her eyes immediately took on a very mischievous gleam but she left her hands planted firmly on Kenshin's chest.  
  
Downright yummy she was. Kenshin suppressed a groan at her continuous contact and allowed his head to flop backwards, drawing his gaze to the ceiling. It was the only place he could look where he couldn't see Kaoru.  
  
"Sano! I found Aoshi!!" Kaoru exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"Aoshi?! Where?!" Sano asked.  
  
"In my shower!!" She exclaimed triumphantly.  
  
That snapped Kenshin out of his daze and his eyes quickly left the blank ceiling and moved to look into Kaoru's eyes.  
  
"You're shower?!" Kenshin exclaimed, not liking that thought one bit.  
  
"With my best friend!"  
  
Kenshin blinked. The mischievous glint in Kaoru's eyes was contagious and his amethyst eyes quickly turned playful. His lips curved into a smirk.  
  
"Show us." he said  
  
If Sano and the tall dark haired man behind him hadn't been there, Kaoru would defiantly have forgotten about Misao and Aoshi in the shower. The smirk on Kenshin's face was so unbearably sexy that Kaoru wanted to launch herself into his arms and have her way with him on the floor.  
  
She settled for drawing her fingertips down over his chest, and abdomen, allowing them to brush against the top of his jeans before allowing her arms to drop to her sides.  
  
All the air in Kenshin's lungs vanished when he felt her feather-light caress. He responded to her touch by grabbing one of her wrists as soon as it dropped to her side. Hot amber eyes slid over her small frame and Kaoru felt herself grow weak in the knees under his unwavering gaze.  
  
"Show me." he said huskily, his eyes gazing at the gaping shirt she wore. With the lack of buttons, Kaoru had to hold it closed as she moved, but the shirt had fallen temptingly open when she placed her hands on her husband's chest.  
  
"Excuse me, but we're still here." Sano said.  
  
"And I want to get in on this 'make fun of the lawyers' action. So let's go find Aoshi!" Katsu exclaimed. Kenshin and Kaoru snapped out of their trance and stepped away from each other. Kenshin grabbed his shirt and pulled it on over his head, then securely tied his hair back before the group of four left the suite.  
  
Kenshin entered the elevator next to Kaoru; the couple were followed by Sano and Katsu. Kenshin remained quiet as Kaoru told them the floor number and then watched the doors close silently.  
  
Images played in Kenshin's head.... four people in the elevator..... Sano, Kaoru, himself and a smaller girl with green eyes....  
  
The brush of hands as they reached for the buttons.....  
  
Sudden shock at the soft touch...  
  
Alone in the elevator with Kaoru.....  
  
Pressed against the wall, Kaoru pinning him there with her body....  
  
Her hands running through his hair...  
  
Her sweet smell, her soft skin...  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
Kaoru's soft questioning snapped Kenshin out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Sano, Katsu and Kaoru already out of the elevator, staring at him.  
  
"Sorry..." he mumbled and exited the elevator.  
  
'Damn! Why can't I remember what happened last night? I just remember fragments but that's it!' Kenshin grumbled as he followed the three down the hall.  
  
They stopped at Kaoru's hotel room door and she fished out her key.  
  
Sano's excitement bubbled over.  
  
"Ready boys?" Kaoru asked mischievously.  
  
"Open the door! Open the door!" Katsu replied.  
  
"Be quiet, they're probably still in the shower." Kaoru said as she slipped the key into the lock.  
  
The light turned green, and she pushed the door open.  
  
Aoshi and Misao weren't in the shower.  
  
They weren't dressed either.  
  
And they were very busy.  
  
"Oh my God." Kaoru breathed, clamping her hands over her eyes and turning to bury her face in Kenshin's chest. Kenshin immediately clutched her to himself with one arm while the other shot up to covered his eyes with his hand.  
  
Katsu covered his mouth in shock.  
  
Sano covered his ears.  
  
See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. The three men looked like a bunch of monkeys.  
  
"WOO!! GO AOSHI!" Sano exclaimed, rapidly snapping out of his stupor and immediately launching into his torture tactics.  
  
Misao let out a yelp and immediately grabbed the closest thing to cover herself with, unfortunately it was Aoshi.  
  
"Oh my God Misao! Did you guys get married too?!" Kaoru exclaimed, her words muffled by Kenshin's chest.  
  
"What the hell are all of you doing here?! Can't you READ!?" Misao cried from behind a shocked Aoshi.  
  
"Read?! Read what? Do you have a tattoo or something? Lemmie see!!" Sano exclaimed entering the room.  
  
Misao flung a pillow at Sano and it hit him straight in the face.  
  
"No! I didn't get a tattoo! Get out! How dare you! Get out! Kaoru! How could you!" Misao shrieked.  
  
"How dare I? C'mon! You asked if I could read! Read what?" Sano grinned. Misao snatched up one of the sheets off the floor and stormed over to the open door where Kaoru and Kenshin were still standing.  
  
"THIS! READ THIS!" Misao yelled pointing at the 'Do Not Disturb' sign.  
  
Sano smirked.  
  
"All the more reason to 'Disturb', weasel-girl."  
  
"WEASEL! I'll 'weasel' you, you damn rooster-head!" Misao shouted.  
  
"Sano, I know you're my best client and the head of a very prominent company, but if you don't get out in 5 seconds I'm going to kill you." Aoshi growled through his teeth.  
  
At that Kenshin's hand fell from his face and three very shocked men were staring at the tall dark and handsome lawyer.  
  
Aoshi, Mr. Cool, had just told someone off.  
  
Had just told SANO off.  
  
There was a moment of silence in the room until....  
  
Sano burst out laughing.  
  
"Man! Weasel girl, whatever you've done to him, keep it up! We'll go, we'll go!" Sano chuckled.  
  
"Hey! No fair! You tortured Kenshin and I earlier today, why are you treating them differently?!" Kaoru exclaimed, turning to the small group of people but still remaining within Kenshin's arms. She just liked the feel of being close to him.  
  
"Because neither of you threatened me." Sano replied simply.  
  
Kaoru glared at Sano, trying to relay a death threat through her eyes at the man, but he merely smirked more and turned to leave the room.  
  
"You know, you two shouldn't be here."  
  
Five sets of eyes turned to Katsu who was standing by the small table placed by the window of the hotel room. He was leaning on the table looking down at a white piece of paper.  
  
"What the hell are you getting on about, Katsu?" Sano asked and strode over to the table.  
  
"Honeymooners should be in the honeymoon suite." Katsu stated simply, then held up two identical pieces of paper, both with the calligraphy writing 'Certificate of Marriage'.  
  
"Misao and I agreed that this room was suitable enough for our needs." Aoshi said in his usual monotonous tone.  
  
"Have bed, will bonk?" Katsu asked.  
  
"Katsu!" Sano exclaimed, once again amazed that his friend would stick his foot in it once more.  
  
"Precisely." Aoshi replied.  
  
"Aoshi!" Sano exclaimed, this time in amazement.  
  
"Now hold on a second!" Kenshin cried, bringing attention from the marriage certificates and the partially clad Aoshi back to himself and Kaoru who still stood in the doorframe of the room. "You two KNOW you got married last night?"  
  
"Of course, who would forget their own marriage?" Misao asked, genuinely confused.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru flushed a brilliant red in guilt.  
  
"They would." Katsu answered.  
  
Misao looked from her friend, to Katsu. In Katsu's hand were two similar pieces of paper. She strode over to her new friend and peered at the marriage certificates.  
  
Aoshi Shinomori and Misao Makimachi.  
  
Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya.  
  
"Holy crap! You two got married!?" Misao cried, turning back to her friend and finally taking in the full scene of the couple. Kenshin had his arm wrapped firmly around Kaoru's waist holding her close to him, while Kaoru stood pressed into him, one of her hands fisted on his chest. They looked as if they were made for each other.  
  
"Congratulations, Kenshin." Aoshi said.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru both threw up their hands in frustration.  
  
"Did ANYONE keep an eye on us last night?" Kaoru asked in exasperation.  
  
"Keep an eye on you? You two are full grown adults! We shouldn't have to baby-sit you!" Sano said.  
  
"But...."  
  
"Listen missy, I said it before, I'll say it again. We lost track of you around 9. One minute you were hot and heavy on the dance floor, the next you were gone." Sano said.  
  
"Hold it!" Kenshin said, interrupting once again and drawing all eyes to him. "So, you two purposefully got married last night?"  
  
Kenshin was having a hard time grasping the fact that Aoshi had done something so.... so.... spontaneous.  
  
"Of course." Aoshi replied slipping an arm around Misao's shoulders.  
  
"And.... no offence is meant by this question... but... why is that?"  
  
Aoshi looked slightly taken aback at that question. He blinked.  
  
"You said it yourself last night, Kenshin. There is such a thing as 'love at first sight'."  
  
_____________________________________  
  
A.N. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!  
  
Not a major cliff hanger, but that's okay. I completely love Aoshi and Misao as a couple and I love reading about them together so of course I had to write about them. I decided to make them married for romantic reasons, and not excess amounts of alcohol. It's about time Aoshi did something crazy like that :D!  
  
Thank you all so much for my reviews! It's those nice reviews that make me want to keep writing!  
  
I have one question for all you readers out there. I've been playing with the thought that the entire drunken night will be remembered by K&K and I wanna know if you guys are interested in reading what transpired within the small group that night? As in finding out how they met, why they got so 'hot and heavy', and whose brilliant idea it was to get married?  
  
Lemmie know what you guys think by clicking that button! :)  
  
Tenshineko: saw your review and corrected my mistake, thanks for the heads up, it was 3am while I wrote the conclusion to this chapter so I was a bit zonked out and you're right, it does look weird.  
  
Sleep is a wonderful thing :)  
  
Off to write chapter 5! 


	5. A Forgotten Nightch5

Disclaimer: RK not mine. =cries=  
  
A.N. Well, here's chapter 5! Sorry for the delay but I was lacking in inspiration. About half way through I went totally blank and didn't know what to type. I finally got my groove back this afternoon and finished the chapter.  
  
Hope you enjoy it!  
  
R&R!  
  
___________________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Love at first sight?" Kenshin asked, dumbstruck. As soon as the words crossed his lips, a sensation shot through his chest. He couldn't place a finger on it though; he had never felt it before.  
  
"Yes, love at first sight." Aoshi replied evenly.  
  
Even with his totally out of character words and actions, the fact that Aoshi was telling everyone that he had met, fallen in love with, and married Misao in one night was enough to floor everyone in the room, even Kaoru who didn't know the man at all.  
  
Once again, four sets of eyes looked at the sheet-clad honeymooners in absolute shock.  
  
"Would you all close you're mouths? You're going to catch flies like that!" Misao retorted, putting a hand on her hip.  
  
Four jaws immediately clamped shut.  
  
Another moment of silence descended upon the group.  
  
"Congratulations. I'm really happy for you two." Kaoru heard herself say, breaking the silence. Misao smiled her thanks and cuddled closer to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
The remaining occupants congratulated the newlyweds after breaking out of their stupor.  
  
"Now, no offence, but you guys are in my hotel room, so if you could all leave so I can shower..." Kaoru said, turning to her suitcase and rummaging about for some clothes.  
  
"Actually, Kaoru, would you mind terribly if we stayed here? You could stay in Aoshi's suite!" Misao asked hopefully.  
  
Kaoru blinked at her friend.  
  
"What?! Why would you guys want to stay here? You could have a huge suite to yourself! And if it's anything like Kenshin's suite, wouldn't it be better for you two up there?" Kaoru exclaimed.  
  
"Come to think of it, why did you guys come here? Kaoru could have walked in at any time during the night and Aoshi's suite was only 6 floors higher, you would've had your privacy." Katsu asked.  
  
"Well...." Misao blushed.  
  
"This room was closer." Aoshi responded evenly.  
  
Another instance of silence and four shocked faces staring at Aoshi.  
  
"Couldn't wait to bonk your wife, eh Shinomori?" Katsu grinned.  
  
Honestly, that man was crude.  
  
"Nope." Aoshi grinned himself.  
  
Sano burst out laughing once again.  
  
Kenshin remembered tearing Kaoru's shirt off the previous night as he leaned forward to whisper into his wife's ear.  
  
"It seems we weren't the only eager people in this hotel last night."  
  
Kaoru flushed a brilliant red colour.  
  
"Looks like it." she whispered back turning slightly to look into his eyes.  
  
Their faces were mere inches apart. Kaoru could fell his warm breath across her lips. Unconsciously she wet her lips as she stared into Kenshin's deep amethyst eyes. The sight of her small tongue running over her lower lips caused him to react, his amethyst eyes quickly changing to amber as he stared at the woman before him.  
  
Kaoru watched the change... amethyst eyes with some flecks of gold, the gaze turning hot and the gold fleck melted, changing Kenshin's usually soft gentle eyes into hot amber, burning with desire.  
  
Kaoru blinked.... remembering another instance when she saw that change.....  
  
Dancing wildly to music.... a hand on her hip circling around to the small of her back..... lacing her fingers into thick, silky red locks of hair... amethyst eyes melting away into amber....  
  
Kenshin's lips on her throat.....  
  
Kaoru blinked again, clearing her head. Yep, that memory of his lips on her neck was certainly her favourite and she wanted nothing more than to experience it again.  
  
Kenshin's palms itched to reach out and touch Kaoru. Especially when she blinked and her innocent blue eyes were replaced with smouldering pools of heat. He felt his mouth run dry again, and it wasn't attributed to his hangover. It was because Kaoru was staring at his lips with longing and desire.  
  
Unconsciously, Kenshin reached up and placed a hand on the side of her throat. He could feel her pulse rate beneath his fingertips and it was racing. Their surroundings melted away, nothing existed around them. Kaoru closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, her head tilted to the side leaving the other side of her neck exposed.  
  
Kenshin didn't hesitate as he closed the distance, following her invitation and brushing the sensitive skin of her throat with his lips. A slight, quiet moan escaped her lips as she shuddered. Forgetting that they weren't alone in the hotel room, Kenshin buried his face in her neck, smelling her soft scent of jasmine and running his lips against her skin, allowing his tongue to fleck out periodically and taste her, as well as nibbling lightly with his teeth every now and then.  
  
Kaoru's memory of the previous evening was certainly lacking. She remembered his lips, but completely forgot his tongue, teeth and hot breath as he continually teased her, drawing out more shuddering breaths, and increasing her heart rate tenfold. The experience was better than the best fantasies she could ever think of.  
  
Kenshin pulled back slightly, covering the other side of her throat with his other hand. His amber eyes were burning with desire. Kaoru's lips were temptingly parted and he longed to taste her fully. He moved forward in an attempt to claim her lips for the third time that morning.  
  
"Geeze! Even sober you guys are all hot and heavy!" Sano exclaimed, slapping Kenshin on the back and jolting the red-head out of his dazed state.  
  
Anger surged through Kenshin at the third spoiled attempt to kiss Kaoru.  
  
"Do you mind?! I'm trying to kiss my wife!" he exclaimed, then flushed a brilliant red when his words registered in his clearing head. He dropped his hands away from Kaoru and stepped back slightly.  
  
Sano grinned and crossed his arms in front of him.  
  
"Not at all, kiss away!"  
  
Kaoru blinked, still momentarily dazed, but hearing Kenshin's heated words snapped her out of her foggy world.  
  
'Wife?! Did he just refer to me as his wife!?' she thought.  
  
"Sano." Kenshin growled in warning and lowered his head to hide his blush.  
  
'Way to blow that one Himura. She'll probably run screaming now.' Kenshin thought to himself.  
  
There had been a possessive edge to his words, Kaoru had been sure of it. Normally the ultra-independent woman would have slapped him silly and stormed away. But hearing Kenshin talk about her with such possessiveness felt unsettlingly.... right.  
  
Actually, it wasn't unsettling.... it was just right because she felt the same possessiveness towards him. He was HER husband. He belonged with her.  
  
He belonged to her.  
  
"Well, would you look at that." Aoshi said in wonder. All eyes turned from the blushing couple towards the dark-haired man. He stood at the side of the bed with the hotel phone in his hand. He was holding up the index finger of the other hand and staring at it in wonder.  
  
"Look at what?" Kaoru asked, almost afraid to hear the answer but wanting to break the uncomfortable stillness of the room more.  
  
"My finger slipped."  
  
Misao giggled and blushed slightly, obviously recalling something that had transpired between her and her husband.  
  
"Slipped? What do you mean, slipped?" Kenshin asked. He didn't like the mischievous look in Aoshi's eyes one bit.  
  
"I accidentally picked up the phone, called the front desk and checked myself out of my suite." he said innocently as he replaced the phone back on the table.  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened.  
  
Sano and Katsu burst out laughing.  
  
"They were very happy that I chose to check out a day early. Turns out the rooms are booked solid and they needed it." Aoshi said simply. "I guess that means you two will have to share Kenshin's suite."  
  
"Genius! You are an absolute GENIUS!" Sano exclaimed, laughing even harder.  
  
"You don't mind, do you? I mean, with the way you two were just getting along, I figured you wouldn't have a problem with sharing a room." Aoshi asked innocently.  
  
It was unnerving to see Aoshi acting so strangely.  
  
Outwardly, Kenshin and Kaoru were glaring at the four people before them.  
  
Inwardly, the couple were dancing for joy at the prospect of spending the night together.  
  
"Okay, since Kaoru will be staying with her husband, I'd like to get back to mine. Everybody out!" Misao said firmly and pushed her way to the door. She threw it open and gestured for the unwelcome guests to leave.  
  
All four intruders followed each other out, Kaoru holding her overnight bag, they all turned in time for the door to be slammed in their faces.  
  
Misao glared at the door, mentally daring their friends to try coming in again. Aoshi came up behind his wife, closed the latch that would guarantee that no one else would try and enter the room, then wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Now, where were we my dear?" Aoshi murmured in Misao's ear as he slid the sheet away from her body. Misao giggled and turned to her husband.  
  
"Well, how do you like that?" Katsu snorted on the other side of the door. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered down the hall towards the elevators.  
  
Kenshin turned and took Kaoru's bag from her arms.  
  
"Come on, you can get a shower in my room..... err... our room." he said. Kaoru clutched the navy shirt closed and nodded at the red-head. Both blushed at the prospect of sharing a room.  
  
'Oh holy crap, how in the name of God am I going to keep my hands off her!?' Kenshin thought as he made his way towards the elevators, following Katsu.  
  
'Oh dear God, he is so sexy!' Kaoru thought as she watched Kenshin's red hair swish back and forth as he proceeded down the hallway in front of her. 'How am I going to keep my hands to myself when part of me wants to put them on him?!'  
  
Both Kenshin and Kaoru clamped their eyes shut and shook their heads, trying to rid their heads of provocative images of each other.  
  
Sano brought up the rear, watching Kenshin and Kaoru with avid interest just like he had the previous night. It was amazing how one single person could change when introduced to love and lust.  
  
Yes... he said love. There was no use denying it. He saw the look in Kenshin's eyes, and in the Missy's eyes too. They were in love, beyond a reason of a doubt, 100% in love with each other. He had seen it the night before when they had brushed hands in the elevator.  
  
Sano smirked. There was such thing as love at first sight. However, that combined with a whole lot of alcohol brought about a whole other string of rather... unholy, impure, downright naughty thoughts.  
  
And he knew for a fact that Kenshin and Kaoru were filled with naughty thoughts every time they stole a glance at each other.  
  
Sano entered the elevator after the other three and pushed the button for the 20th floor.  
  
Even the tension between the couple was amusing. It was so intense Sano was half afriad that they'd tear each others clothes off and do it right in front of him. Of course, he knew the red-head. Kenshin would never EVER do anything like that. No matter how much burning desire he felt.  
  
No matter how much alcohol he consumed.  
  
And boy, that man consumed a whole lot of alcohol the night before!  
  
Sano had seen to that.  
  
The question had arisen the night before when Sano watched the couple eyeing each other, but not doing anything about it. Obviously there was attraction, and Sano was going to make sure that Kenshin let loose. So the question was asked: How much alcohol will it take for Kenshin to lose all his inhibitions and just go with the flow? How much alcohol would it take for Kenshin to follow his heart instead of his head?  
  
Not that one, the other one... the one on his shoulders.  
  
It had taken a lot. He knew both the Missy and Kenshin were drunk when he saw them together on the dance floor.... Kenshin never danced.  
  
He knew Kenshin was starting to ignore the little voice in his brain as he watched the man press Kaoru into a wall and bury his face in her neck like he had in Aoshi and Misao's room minutes before hand.  
  
And he knew Kenshin had finally followed his heart when he lost the couple around 9pm.  
  
But he didn't know how well Kenshin had followed his heart until he saw the marriage certificate.  
  
He knew was that seeing them together was right. And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they remained husband and wife.  
  
The elevator doors opened and Sano exited, making his way to Kenshin's suite. He used the key he had and entered the room.  
  
"Sano, I'm gonna go shower and change, plus I promised I'd call my woman, so I'll meet you guys downstairs for breakfast." Katsu said, and then left the three in the doorframe of Kenshin's suite.  
  
Sano wandered into the bedroom and sat down on the still messy bed. Kenshin and Kaoru followed and he put her bag down by the minibar.  
  
"You can grab a shower. We'll go and wait for you downstairs." Kenshin offered gesturing towards the open bathroom door.  
  
"Thank you." Kaoru replied, smiling.  
  
'Oh crap, there's that innocent smile and slight blush that makes me want to....' Kenshin thought. Images of fragmented memories arose in his head and he indulged himself for a moment.  
  
Kaoru grabbed her toiletries and made a bee-line for the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. She hesitated momentarily and then reached out and unlocked the door.  
  
Kenshin and Sano looked at the closed door. They heard the lock turn and Kenshin felt almost.... disappointed.  
  
The lock turned again.... leaving the door unlocked.  
  
Sano smirked and glanced up at his friend. Kenshin's eyes remained glued to the bathroom door.  
  
Kaoru was beyond that door, about to strip naked and get into a nice warm shower, and there was nothing more in the world that Kenshin wanted to do than open the INTENTIONALLY unlocked bathroom door and join her in the shower.  
  
Of course they'd have to turn the hot water off since they would be making their own steam.  
  
'Bad! Down boy! Behave!' Kenshin yelled at himself and tore his gaze from the door only for it to land on his smirking friend.  
  
Sano saw the heated look once again and couldn't help but continue to grin evilly.  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed menacingly at Sano.  
  
"Why don't you join your wife? I bet you'd enjoy that shower a hell of a lot more then the cold one you took earlier." Sano said.  
  
"Maybe later." Kenshin replied.  
  
Sano's face lit up completely at that response. Kenshin was admitting to him that he loved her!!  
  
Well, not in so many words but..... a guy can dream.  
  
Kenshin stalked quickly over to Sano, his eyes flashing an anger amber colour as his hand shot out and grabbed Sano by the collar and hauled him off the bed.  
  
Kenshin kept his hand fisted in Sano's shirt as he pulled the tall man to his feet, then hauled his face down so Kenshin was looking down at him.  
  
"First, you and I need to have a chat, old pal." Kenshin growled.  
  
Sano grinned up at his friend. Kenshin had figured out that Sano was partly to blame for the current situation he was in. Well.... maybe not blame.... maybe thanks were in order....  
  
"What the hell happened last night?" Kenshin asked.  
  
______________________________  
  
A.N. Okay, after the many MANY wonderful reviews I received (THANKS SO MUCH!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! ^_^). I have taken your thoughts and advice. While K&K will never remember fully what happened (after all when you're that drunk you only remember fragments anyways), there were witnesses around who can inform them of their actions.  
  
As for what happened after 9pm, well... you'll see :D  
  
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. There were a few spots that I wasn't pleased with, but there were a few that I totally loved. Writing Aoshi as playful and mischievous was so much fun!! :D Totally OOC though, I know, but it was fun all the same.  
  
Not to worry you A&M fans, they will return to this story, and I do plan to give an account as to what happened to them.  
  
Considering that I was only thinking of making this fic short, it's turning out to be something a whole lot longer. Hope you guys don't mind!  
  
Reviews are always welcome.  
  
Cheers! 


	6. A Forgotten Nightch6

Disclaimer: RK not mine. =cries=  
  
A.N. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!  
  
I'm so terribly terribly sorry about my long absence from this story. This past week I've been working on finishing my other story that I've got going and I've ignored this one. GOMEN!!!  
  
Anyways, here's chapter 6 for all you wonderful people who aren't in search of my blood. And for you wonderful people who are in search of my blood, here's chapter 6, please don't hurt me!!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
__________________________________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"Last night? Why, you got trashed and married Kaoru." Sano replied. Kenshin's eyes narrowed further, making him look even more menacing than before.  
  
"You know what I mean. Why can't I remember my own WEDDING? What happened?"  
  
Sano removed his shirt from Kenshin's fist and straightened himself.  
  
"Okay, I'll tell you what I know. But you've got to promise me one thing." Sano said as he left the bedroom and made his way to the living room. Kenshin followed, regretfully turning his back to the bathroom door that separated him from his naked wife.  
  
"Promise?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"Promise you won't get mad when I give you very little information."  
  
"Very little? Why very little?"  
  
"C'mon Kenshin, you're a grown man and I wasn't going to baby sit you. I only saw you two together a few times before you disappeared." Sano replied, seating himself on a sofa. Kenshin sat across from him.  
  
"Fine, tell me whatever you can." Kenshin relented. Anything would be better than the fragments of very..... naughty memories he had playing through his head.  
  
"Well, it all started in the elevator...."  
  
*******************  
  
Sano watched his red-headed friend discreetly eyeing the young woman who had just entered the elevator with her friend. He also noticed the 'accidental' brushing of the couple's hands.  
  
Sano smirked. Accidental. HA! Kenshin had no reason whatsoever to reach over and push the door close button of the elevator. Sano could tell immediately that something about the girl drew Kenshin's attention. Whether she knew it or not, she had broken through the cold-fish and caused him to check her out.  
  
"Hey there Missy, can I buy you and your friend a drink?" Sano asked the blue-eyed woman. He noticed the look of hope flash across Kenshin's face but it was quickly hidden.  
  
Oh yeah, this was too good to pass up.  
  
"No thank you. We're not interested." Kaoru replied.  
  
"Oh c'mon. I'm getting married next weekend, this is my bachelor party. You're cute but I've got a fox waiting for me back home so don't think I'm trying to pick you guys up or anything."  
  
Kaoru blinked.  
  
Should she be insulted or not?  
  
"Why would I want a racoon or a weasel when I can have my fox, right Kenshin?" Sano smirked, elbowing his friend in the side.  
  
Yes... she should be insulted.  
  
"Racoon!"  
  
"Weasel!"  
  
"Sano...." Kenshin warned quietly. He didn't like the look on those girls faces one bit.  
  
There was a short 'ding' announcing their arrival to the main lobby.  
  
"I demand an apology! I am not a racoon!" Kaoru snorted indignantly as she stood in the open elevator door, preventing the tall brown haired rooster head and his short red-haired friend from leaving the elevator.  
  
"Oro." Kenshin muttered. Leave it to Sano to piss off the girl.  
  
"Fine. Let me buy you guys a drink as my way of apologising." Sano said, smiling.  
  
Trapped.  
  
Crap!  
  
Kaoru glared at Sano, mentally cursing herself for walking into that obvious trap.  
  
Sano continued to smile down at her.  
  
"I should kick your butt, rooster head!" Misao growled from behind Kaoru.  
  
Sano stiffened. He hated that nickname, and he had been called it a few times. Kenshin stepped before Sano and looked at the two young women before him.  
  
"Please excuse my friend. He is a dumb as he looks." Kenshin said, smiling at the two.  
  
"Hey!!" Sano snorted. Kenshin waved a hand, silencing Sano.  
  
"Allow me to buy you lovely ladies a drink, as my way of apologising for his dumbass remarks." Kenshin continued.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Kaoru smiled. Red was very cute.  
  
"Only if he pays." Misao retorted.  
  
"HEY!!!" Sano cried again.  
  
"Of course." Kenshin replied. He offered his arms to both women and left Sano in the elevator looking very pissed off.  
  
Kenshin, Kaoru and Misao didn't see the smirk that crossed Sano's face as he shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered out of the elevator and to the bar.  
  
**********************  
  
"Then I got a call from Megumi. I talked to her for a while. By the time I got back to the bar, you and she were pretty friendly on the dance floor, if you know what I mean." Sano winked.  
  
"That's it? That's all you know?"  
  
"That's it..." Sano shrugged. "Told ya I didn't know much."  
  
Lie.  
  
Sano remembered a whole lot more than that. But he opted to keep his friend in the dark. Watching a struggling Kenshin attempt to remember his actions from the previous night was too good a show.  
  
Watching Kenshin and Kaoru together was a whole lot more fun. The bumbling idiot of a red-head was bound to snap sooner or later and devour his wife. That possibility was ever present in his eyes whenever he looked at her.  
  
Sano wanted to see it happen, first hand.  
  
"Well, you're a wealth of information Sano. I'm so glad I asked you." Kenshin said sarcastically. Sano merely shrugged his shoulders again, carefully hiding his smile, and rose to his feet.  
  
"Told ya. I'm starved. Time to grab some food. I'll see you downstairs."  
  
With that, Sano strode over to the door, and left the room. Closing the door behind him, he checked his watch. Ten minutes. He would give those two ten minutes of being alone before barging into the room for whatever reason he could think of.  
  
"How's it going in there?"  
  
Sano turned to the voice and smiled.  
  
Kenshin sat in the living room for a minute, trying once again to remember his actions from the night before. The hotel room was quiet except for the sound of the shower running.  
  
The shower.  
  
Kaoru was in the shower.  
  
There was merely a wall that separated Kenshin from Kaoru who was in the shower.  
  
A naked Kaoru who was in the shower.  
  
Kenshin found himself staring at the wall that separated him from his wife.  
  
If only.....  
  
Shaking his head rapidly, Kenshin cleared his head of thoughts concerning him in the shower with Kaoru.  
  
'Bad! Behave Himura! She's you're wife, yes. But not in the sense you would like!'  
  
Kenshin froze.  
  
Did he actually just THINK that?!?  
  
He hung his head, staring down at the carpet between his feet. Who was he kidding anyways? Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the folded marriage certificate that Katsu had handed back to him.  
  
Certificate of Marriage.  
  
Kenshin Himura.  
  
Kaoru Kamiya.  
  
"Mrs. Kaoru Himura." Kenshin mumbled under his breath.  
  
It sounded right.  
  
If only.....  
  
"If only we had been sober." Kenshin whispered softly.  
  
The thought of that send a flutter through Kenshin's stomach. He blinked and focused on the marriage certificate again. Shaking his head for what had to be the millionth time that morning Kenshin stood up and walked into the bedroom. He placed the marriage certificate back on the side table where he had found it earlier. He let his fingers brush over the words again.  
  
"Oh!"  
  
Kenshin turned to the startled sound.  
  
Kaoru stood in the door of the bathroom. Her long raven hair was soaked and hanging down her back and she was wearing a towel.  
  
A very short towel.  
  
Damp tendrils of hair clung to her soft face. Her long beautiful neck and creamy smooth shoulders were exposed. The towel barely covered her curves and ended mid-thigh giving Kenshin a very lovely view of her long shapely legs.  
  
Kenshin swallowed hard.  
  
Kaoru watched the amethyst eyes fade to amber again. She felt the familiar shiver run down her spine every time Kenshin got that look on his face. Inwardly she was leaping for joy. There had been larger towels in the bathroom, but she had chosen the smaller one just to see if she could entice her husband.  
  
There was something about that man. Something she couldn't put her finger on, but it was there.  
  
Kaoru swallowed hard.  
  
Time froze as the couple stared at each other. Kenshin remained rooted in his spot because he knew if he even moved one muscle, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from striding over to Kaoru, tearing the robe off her and having her right there in the doorway of the bathroom...  
  
Then on the bed.....  
  
Then in the bath.....  
  
Then in the shower.......  
  
His mouth ran dry at the mere thought.  
  
Kaoru watched Kenshin's hands clench into fists at his sides. He took a deep breath and looked like he was warring with himself to keep absolutely still.  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes to block out the sight of Kaoru in a towel. He needed to stay focused. They had married while drunk; she had agreed they would get an annulment. Touching her was out of the question.  
  
The feather light caress on his lips caused his eyes to snap open. He hadn't even heard her cross the room and place herself before him, but there she was. Her fingers traced his lips softly as she stared at him intently.  
  
Kaoru couldn't resist. The memory of his lips on her neck was still too fresh in her mind. She wanted to feel them on her again. This time, though, on her lips. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him. The need was overwhelming as she found herself standing directly in front of him, touching his lips with her fingers and staring at them intently.  
  
She slowly drew her hand away from his lips, only to touch her own. Her eyes moved up his face and met with his heated gaze.  
  
"Kiss me." she whispered past her fingertips.  
  
Kenshin didn't hesitate. The soft caress of her fingers on her own lips, after touching his own, only made him want to follow their path. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and pulled it away from her mouth. His other hand moved to the small of her back and hauled her against his entire length.  
  
Sano chose that time to walk into the room.  
  
"Wooo! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!" he exclaimed.  
  
Kaoru's gaze was torn from Kenshin as she looked over his shoulder at Sano standing in the doorway of the bedroom, a large smirk on his face. Kenshin's hand released her wrist and instead of leaping away like he usually did whenever Sano walked in on them, he grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him.  
  
Kenshin deliberately ignored Sano's voice and presence. Instead he focused on one thing and one thing only. Fulfilling Kaoru's request.  
  
He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.  
  
It was like a bolt of lightning shot through the couple the second their lips met. Kaoru ran her hands up his chest, feeling the muscles flex under her fingertips, then allowed them to lace into his thick red hair. Kenshin used his fingers on her chin to coax her mouth to open under his. She readily complied and allowed his tongue passage into her mouth.  
  
The velvet stroke of his tongue against her own caused her to moan softly and press herself against him. His hand left her face and travelled down her neck, over her shoulder and his fingers traced a line down her spine to the small of her back. The feather light caress caused her to shudder.  
  
Kenshin deepened the kiss more when his tongue searched her mouth, slowly, torturously tasting her fully. He retreated, pulling his velvet tongue from her mouth and grazing her lower lip with his teeth before breaking off the kiss.  
  
Kaoru was totally pliant in his arms. Her mouth slightly parted, her lips were red and swollen from his kiss. She was breathing deeply.  
  
'Holy shit' were the only words that entered her mind at that moment. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself gazing into deep amethyst eyes.  
  
To say that Kenshin Himura was a phenomenal kisser would be an understatement.  
  
She had been right earlier that morning. She had wanted to melt into his arms and experience a phenomenal kiss and that was EXACTLY what she had just done.  
  
Kenshin stared at the woman in his arms. He was in a complete state of shock. He was breathing deeply and his heart was racing a mile a minute. He had been very badly affected by that kiss. In more ways than one.  
  
Physically there had been an extremely strong reaction. Of course having a beautiful, wet, towel-wearing woman completely pliant in your arms would have that affect on any man. Well... any straight man. He was sure she felt it too since it was currently pressed firmly against her..  
  
Mentally, he was absolutely shocked. There had been a strange jolt of energy that passed through him when his lips touched hers. It confused him greatly and from her reaction, she had felt it too.  
  
Emotionally... that was something that totally threw him for a loop. His heart pounded, he had butterflies in his stomach and he didn't know why. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss Kaoru again and again.  
  
The attraction he felt for her multiplied tenfold. It suddenly went well beyond physical attraction.  
  
"Oro."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Shit."  
  
Three words uttered by three people all of whom were in a state of shock.  
  
Sano had never... ever... in his whole life... ever saw a man kiss a woman like Kenshin had just kissed Kaoru. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness that often accompanied first kisses, even though it wasn't Kenshin and Kaoru's first kiss, but it was their first SOBER kiss, and it had been a shock for him as it had been for them.  
  
He could only curse. Everything else stopped functioning as he stared at the couple.  
  
"Holy shit." Sano repeated.  
  
He blinked.  
  
Sexual tension was gone temporarily. In its place was shock, confusion and, without a doubt in Sano's mind, love.  
  
A slow smile spread across his lips. Feeling that emotion in the air gave him great joy. He hadn't felt it since he proposed to Megumi.  
  
They belonged together. Without a doubt, they belonged together.  
  
Sano immediately snapped out of his thoughts, quickly moving past his initial shock and his smile rapidly turned into an evil grin.  
  
"Someone turn down the heat! It's ROASTING in here!" he yelled.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru immediately released each other, still utterly confused by what had transpired between them in that single moment, but both were sick of Sano's comments and teases. They both turned to Sano who still stood in the doorway with a stupid grin on his face.  
  
"Shut up Sano!" they both yelled. Kaoru snatched up her overnight bag and stalked into the bathroom. Kenshin stomped over to Sano and grabbed him by the shirt again, dragging him out of the bedroom.  
  
"One of these days Sagara, I'm going kill you. Mark my words!" Kenshin seethed, glowering up at his friend. Sano burst out laughing and easily freed himself from the lawyers grasp.  
  
"Yeah yeah, just try Himura."  
  
"What do you want NOW?" Kenshin asked. The initial shock had lessened, and all he knew was that Sano had interrupted him and his wife... AGAIN!!!  
  
"Nothing. I was just hoping I'd catch you two doing something." Sano replied honestly. He couldn't help but be honest about that one. He had wanted to see them doing something... he wanted to be a witness so neither would be able to deny it later, but he had seen more than what he bargained for.  
  
Kenshin glared up at his friend.  
  
"Where the hell did you get a key to my room?" Kenshin asked. Sano merely smiled innocently down at him.  
  
Kenshin narrowed his eyes at the man once more.  
  
"I am going to find out how you got that key, then I'm going use it to kill you!" he growled. Sano burst out laughing at the threat, picturing Kenshin trying to stab him with the electronic key-card the hotel used to gain entrance into its rooms.  
  
"Now that's something I'd like to see."  
  
"Trust me... you will!"  
  
"Kenshin stop threatening Sano." Katsu called from the open door of the hotel room. In his hand dangled the key-card that he had just used to open the hotel room door.  
  
"You! Give me that key!" Kenshin yelled holding out his had to Katsu. Katsu merely smiled and tucked the key down his pants, the only place where he knew Kenshin wouldn't go looking for it.  
  
"Sure, go get it." Katsu said. Sano barked with laughter just as a fully dressed Kaoru entered the room. She took in the site of a laughing Sano, a grinning Katsu and a seething Kenshin.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked innocently, looking at each man.  
  
"Nothing." Kenshin replied. He reached out unconsciously and grabbed Kaoru's hand with his own and pulled her along behind him. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat."  
  
Katsu got out of their way and Sano joined him at the door frame as they watched the couple walking down the hotel hallway, still holding hands.  
  
"You were right." Katsu said.  
  
"I'm always right." was the reply.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
A.N. I couldn't torture them any longer, I had to let the kiss. And it was a recurring theme that Sano would interrupt them. So he had to be there too. :D  
  
Now here's the part where you guys are probably going to kill me. I am going to have to put this fic on hold for 3 months.  
  
=sees lynch mob=  
  
Uh oh.  
  
Okay, here's the deal. I'm leaving the country on Wednesday night for 3 months. That's right... three months. I don't know how I'll survive because I'll have no computer and no anime! I'm ready to fall over and die right here but I'll somehow manage. I'll be bringing manga with me, so that should tie my over till I get home.  
  
I am SO sorry about leaving you guys hanging like this. If I'm not too busy over the next three days I plan to write another chapter for this fic, but I can't make any promises. I already told the readers of my other fic that I'd finish it before I left.  
  
Please don't kill me!!  
  
=runs away and hides= 


	7. A Forgotten Nightch7

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine. =cries=  
  
A.N. Okay, this is it. It's very short, but I couldn't help it. I read all your reviews and thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your support. I have a large quantity of loose leaf sheets and a few pens... I plan to spend my free time wisely :D  
  
So, without further adieu.  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
_____________________________________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru continued down the hallway, still holding hands. Not a word was spoken between the couple as Kenshin pushed the elevator call button and while they waited for the arrival of their transportation.  
  
Instead, they were too busy yelling at themselves to talk to the other person.  
  
'Idiot! I am a huge, monstrous, unbelievable IDIOT! I can't believe I kissed her!!! Why did I kiss her!? I had no right to kiss her!!'  
  
'What the hell was I thinking!? Why did I kiss him!? Why did I feel the need to kiss him?! GOD that was some KISS! I could easily live the rest of my days with a man who kissed me like that.'  
  
Kaoru froze at that thought. In her anger at Sano, and the unbelievable kiss that Kenshin gave her, she momentarily lost all of her senses. It was only at that moment, standing in front of elevator doors, waiting for it to arrive, did she actually begin to have cognitive thought.  
  
There had been something about that kiss. If she had been wearing socks, they certainly would have been knocked off. She had felt a surge of.... something.... shoot through her entire body the moment their lips touched.  
  
Before the kiss, she was acutely aware of her physical attraction to the red-head. It was overwhelming and very powerful. Let alone provocative and lusty. She wasn't the type of woman who allowed herself to be close to a man very easily when it came to physical closeness, but Kenshin was a different story. Somewhere in the depths of her person, she trusted him more than anything or anyone in the world. Deep down she knew that he would never hurt her in any way.  
  
At least, that's what she kept telling herself when she unlocked the bathroom door.  
  
She had issued the invitation to Kenshin, and he never took it. Part of her was extremely disappointed at that, the other part only strengthened her trust in the man. She had unconsciously tested him.  
  
Of course, there was that moment where she had been extremely pissed that he hadn't made advances on her. She unlocked the bathroom door! She deliberately left him the option of entering the bathroom and joining her in the shower, and he TURNED HER DOWN!!!  
  
His punishment was the tiny towel wrapped around her when she emerged from the bathroom. She had fully intended to be extremely sexy and totally unattainable when she left the bathroom, but the second she saw him, and his heated amber eyes, she melted completely.  
  
She was REALLY glad she had melted.  
  
Even the mere memory of his kiss caused her to be weak in the knees. Swallowing hard, Kaoru mentally shook herself and attempted to regain her composure.  
  
'I should apologise. I forced myself on him and the poor man didn't know what else to do.'  
  
The elevator 'dinged' and the doors opened. The couple, still hand in hand, entered the elevator together and watched the doors slide shut.  
  
For the second time that day, watching the elevator doors close caused a flood of fragmented memories to enter Kenshin's mind.  
  
Kaoru's hands running up his chest..... her mouth hot and demanding on his own..... her body pressed intimately against his own....  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes, attempting to remember ANYTHING that wasn't sexual. Failing miserably, of course, but at least the attempt was there. Just the mere thought of.... Kaoru... just Kaoru... her eyes... her smile... everything... was enough to make him want to groan. He swallowed hard, preventing himself from emitting the groan that was manifesting itself in his chest.  
  
Unfortunately, instead of emitting a low, lustful groan, Kenshin squeaked. He should have let the groan come out....  
  
"Kenshin? Are you alright?" Kaoru asked at his side. Kenshin's eyes snapped open and he looked down at her.  
  
"Yes. Why?"  
  
"You just.... squeaked." Kaoru said uncertainly. She was looking at him in concern. She lacked a better word than 'squeak' to describe the strange sound that Kenshin had just emitted. At first she thought there was some kind of rodent in the elevator but she soon realized the strange sound had come from her husband.  
  
When she had looked over at him, his head was bent forward and his eyes were shut tight. He had a..... strange look on his face. She couldn't tell if he was in pain, or if he was upset... he looked... strange.  
  
If a man had looked at Kenshin's face, he would have immediately recognised the look of painful desire and demanded to know what, how and who he was fantasizing about. Kaoru on the other hand, had no idea what to make of the expression.  
  
"I... squeaked?" Kenshin asked quietly. His embarrassment was more than he had ever felt in his life. He bent his head forward a little more, hiding his face from Kaoru completely so she wouldn't see his deep red blush. Having his long hair and shaggy bangs was proving to be useful in that moment.  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
Mustering all control he had, Kenshin forced himself to stop thinking dirty thoughts and get over his embarrassment at 'squeaking' in front of his wife and lifted his head.  
  
"I'm fine. I didn't even realize I said anything." Kenshin replied, smiling innocently at Kaoru. She looked at his face in amazement.  
  
She knew that people could wear different expressions on their faces day to day. Anger, happiness, desire, hurt, it was all easily seen on a persons face. But Kenshin was different. Just looking at him smiling innocently would have made her believe he was never capable of having any other kind of emotion playing on his features. He wore the innocence as a perfect mask and if she hadn't seen the lustful looks he had given her throughout the morning, she never would have thought him capable of it.  
  
The innocence was sweet and endearing. But she liked the heated amber looks a touch better.  
  
The gentle squeeze his hand gave hers snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked down at their hands, still joined. Kenshin's eyes followed hers and he immediately dropped her hand, snatching his away as if it had been burned.  
  
"I'm sorry! I-..." he started, but broke off. He what? What was he sorry for? He liked the feeling of her hand in his. And he absolutely loved the feeling of her in his arms. Kenshin sighed and tore his eyes away from Kaoru.  
  
Confusion, thy name is Himura.  
  
His jumbled feelings were weighing down on his mind causing immense pressure build up. Either that or the painkillers were wearing off, either way the feeling wasn't pleasant. He felt as if every emotion he ever felt in his life had been thrown into a blender and someone hit 'puree', then lovingly poured the ungodly mixture back into his being. Sorting through it was impossible. He had feelings for Kaoru, yes. But how deep?  
  
At first it was purely physical. Yes, Kenshin respects women more than anything but when you wake up to a panty-wearing, topless, raven-haired GODDESS in your bed r-e-s-p-e-c-t is quickly replaced with l-u-s-t. The wave of desire that crashed into him anytime he looked at her was almost unbearable. Of course, after the initial bout of lust, respect came screaming back into his head, forcing him to keep his hands OFF!  
  
After that kiss though... everything changed.  
  
Desire was still there, like a raging fire that didn't feel like it was going to extinguish any time soon... but there was something else. The puree of emotions was present and God only knew what was in there.  
  
'Something tells me I've got a lot of soul searching ahead of me.' Kenshin thought.  
  
"Don't be sorry, I should be apologising to you! I'm sorry." Kaoru said, breaking Kenshin from his thoughts.  
  
"Oro! You apologise to me? What for?"  
  
What for?! WHAT FOR!? There were times when Kaoru thought her new husband was denser than lead.  
  
"For..."  
  
The elevator halted, and the doors opened up to reveal the main lobby.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Himura! Good Morning!" a man called. His voice cut Kaoru off and the couple peered out of the elevator with wide eyes.  
  
A man wearing a crisp clean hotel uniform came out from behind the concierge's desk and walked swiftly to the stunned couple as they emerged from the elevator. He held out his hand to Kenshin, who took it uncertainly.  
  
"Congratulations on your marriage last night!" he said enthusiastically as he vigorously shook Kenshin's hand.  
  
Kenshin felt as if every bone in his body was being jarred by the large man's handshake, and he was sure his fingers were being crushed.  
  
"Oro."  
  
"Mrs. Himura! You were such a lovely bride!" the man said as he released Kenshin's hand and turned to Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru blinked.  
  
Kenshin blinked and rubbed his sore hand.  
  
"How... how did you know we were married?" Kaoru asked.  
  
__________________________________________________  
  
A.N. Hehehehe. Okay, this is where I leave this lovely story. I will be back in three months and I will have lots to write, but I need money and I want to see the world. So off to another country to work! Later folks!  
  
Sakura. 


	8. A Forgotten Nightch8

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine, I merely borrowed some of the characters for this story.  
  
A.N. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
=bows before readers=  
  
GOMEN! GOMEN!! I am so sorry!!! I know it's been MONTHS since I updated and I feel horrible for leaving you all hanging as I did. But with travel, work and now back to class I have been absolutely swamped with crap. I barely have time to sleep, let alone eat, shower and breathe. SORRY SORRY!!!  
  
Anyways, I hope my continuing groveling will grant me forgiveness from you wonderful wonderful readers. That and my updates. I think I've got a schedule worked out that will allow me to update once a week. I just need to get my creative juices going.  
  
As for my other fic (Past Returns) I'm working on chapter two. I can't seem to get it right though. I don't know what's wrong with me, but every time I sit down to type, junk comes out. So I keep deleting it. Hopefully I'll have my problem with chapter 2 resolved soon and I'll post it up.  
  
Anyways, here is the long awaited chapter 8. I hope it's okay.  
  
R&R pls!  
  
Enjoy! ____________________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"How did I know you were married?! Why the whole hotel knows you two got married! You told everyone you came into contact with last night!" the man exclaimed. Kenshin felt heat creep up his face for the millionth time that day. EVERYONE knew?  
  
"Everyone?" Kaoru asked timidly, her face the colour of a tomato. Unconsciously her hand shot out and grabbed Kenshin's in a vain attempt at searching for support. Looking for it in Kenshin was a bad idea since he was as shell-shocked as she was.  
  
"Well, those of us who worked last night." the man responded, looking from red husband to red wife. Kaoru and Kenshin both sighed a relief. That was only a handful of people then if it was the night shift.  
  
'Thank God.' Kenshin thought. Last thing he needed was the whole hotel making fun of them, or congratulating them.  
  
"You're best man told everyone else. He was so excited about the wedding!" the concierge beamed, smiling down at the couple. Kenshin and Kaoru both looked up in shock.  
  
"Everyone?" Kaoru squeaked once again, the colour drained from her face.  
  
"Best man?!" Kenshin exclaimed, immediately plotting ways in which to kill his boss.  
  
"Yes, your best man. He said you two were beyond happy to be getting married."  
  
"What did this man look like?" Kenshin asked quietly. If he was right, and he knew he was, Sano was behind this whole mess of the hotel knowing.  
  
Which made Sano a walking dead man.  
  
"What did he look like?! He was YOUR best man!"  
  
"Satoshi. Please. Leave our newlywed guests alone. I'm sure they would rather some privacy during their.... ahem.... Honeymoon." came a voice that was achingly familiar to Kenshin. The concierge stepped aside to reveal the last person on earth Kenshin wanted to see.  
  
The smirk, the narrow yellow eyes, and the greasy black hair all combined to make one Hajime Saito.  
  
"Welcome to my humble hotel, Mr. Himura." Saito smirked.  
  
"YOUR hotel?" Kenshin replied feeling absolutely sick to his stomach, and it wasn't caused by the hangover.  
  
"Of course. I own it, therefore it is MY hotel." Saito responded, the smirk still present. "And might I add a congratulations on your.... hasty marriage."  
  
Had he known the Hotel belonged to Hajime Saito, Kenshin never, EVER would have stepped foot in its doors.  
  
Kenshin and Saito's relationship, using the term extremely loosly, started back in law school. They had been rivals through the entire duration of their education and it had continued well past graduation. They went their separate ways all those years ago, but once in a blue moon they would find themselves standing face to face. Kenshin grimacing, and Saito grinning.  
  
Things hadn't changed.  
  
The blue moon was out.  
  
Inwardly, Kenshin groaned. The little version of himself deep within his soul threw a temper tantrum at his own folly. He knew Saito was in the business of buying and selling things like companies and hotels. He did it so often, it was hard to keep track of what he currently owned, used to own, or was planning to own.  
  
Hajime Saito was a very successful businessman and lawyer. And he enjoyed rubbing his success in Kenshin's face.  
  
"Hello Hajime." Kenshin said tightly, dreading the confrontation he was about to have with the owner. They were never pleasant.  
  
"Kenshin, how are you?" Saito asked, smiling..... well, it couldn't be called sweetly because anytime he smiled, it looked like he was sucking on a lemon. So leave it at smiling.  
  
"Married. And you?" Kenshin replied.  
  
"Ah yes, I heard all about your marriage. It was so fast! How long have you known each other?"  
  
There it was. The dreaded question every shotgun marriage couple avoids like the plague. And of course, it was Saito Hajime who asked it to Kenshin and Kaoru.  
  
Saito smirked at the squirming red head. He knew full well what had happened the previous evening. He was the owner after all. He knew everything that went on in his hotel.  
  
"Long enough." was the reply.  
  
Kaoru noticed the tension in her husband the moment the greasy looking man entered into the picture. She wanted nothing more than to give the skinny freak a good hard shove and drag Kenshin away. But that would seem way too childish. So instead she remained at Kenshin side, and gave his hand a light squeeze of reassurance.  
  
Kenshin felt the pressure on his hand and glanced over at Kaoru. Suddenly remembering she was there, he quickly stepped forward and positioned himself between Kaoru and Saito, in a protective manner.  
  
Dumbfounded, Kaoru stared over Kenshin's shoulder at the smirking hotel owner.  
  
"Now now, no need for that. I merely came by to offer my congratulations to you both. Oh and give you this." Saito said, smiling as he reached into his inside jacket pocket and extracted a small velvet box. He casually held it in his hand and flipped the top.  
  
Kaoru audibly gasped.  
  
Inside the box was a stunning set of white gold wedding bands, and a diamond and sapphire engagement ring.  
  
"Holy crap." Kaoru breathed.  
  
"Oro!" Kenshin exclaimed.  
  
"A husband and wife shouldn't be without their rings, should they?" Saito smirked.  
  
"Saito...." Kenshin said. He was absolutely shocked. That Saito would do something like that was beyond comprehension to Kenshin.  
  
"No need to thank me. You bought them Himura. They were sized overnight and dropped off to me personally so I could hand deliver them to you." Saito responded, waving a hand. His pleasure at the situation was rapidly fading.  
  
Saito had a short attention span. Especially when it came to matters involving Kenshin.  
  
"I bought them?" Kenshin asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes yes, now take them." He paused. "Unless the whole marriage was a mistake and you had yourselves a shotgun wedding." The smirk was back. Kenshin glared at Saito and snatched the ring box out of his outstretched hand.  
  
"Bite me, Hajime." Kenshin retorted, spun on his heal and started to walk away. Saito grabbed the red-head's shoulder and delayed his retreat.  
  
"How rude. Aren't you going to place the rings on your wife?" He asked, smirking down at the shorter man. His amusement had returned 10-fold when he watched Kenshin squirm.  
  
Kenshin's heart literally stopped for a moment.  
  
Put the rings on Kaoru's finger?! NOW?!?  
  
Panic started to take root. For one, at the thought of Kaoru wearing rings to signify to the public that she was spoken for was 100% totally appealing to Kenshin. He wanted her wearing the rings he bought. He wanted to claim her as his wife..... in more ways than just name. But for another, he would put the rings on her, and scare the living crap out of her. She'd think he was totally insane, beat him senseless with some hard object, and exit his life forever.  
  
A thought that Kenshin didn't even want to acknowledge.  
  
Kaoru could almost feel the tension in Kenshin's being at Saito's suggestion. It didn't take a genius to see that these two men didn't get along very well. In fact, a blind man would be able to make that assessment.  
  
Kaoru hated seeing Kenshin squirm. And she just wanted to wipe the smirk off that horrible man's face.  
  
"Kenshin...." Kaoru said softly. Kenshin turned and looked at her over his shoulder. Kaoru merely raised her eyebrows and held out her hand expectantly.  
  
Kenshin saw the understanding in her eyes and could have kissed her for her actions. Well.. he could have kissed her just to kiss her. But that was neither here nor there.  
  
Heart pounding in his throat, Kenshin slowly reached forward and took Kaoru's outstretched left hand. He swallowed nervously, staring directly into Kaoru's stunning blue eyes. He flipped the ring box open and fished out the two rings that were for Kaoru. Unable to look in her eyes anymore, Kenshin tore his gaze from her face to her hand firmly held in his own. He slipped the engagement ring on, it fit perfectly.  
  
The whole world slipped away for the couple again. Kenshin slowly drew Kaoru's hand up to his lips and brushed a soft kiss to the back of her hand.  
  
The hairs on the back of Kaoru's neck stood at full attention. Her whole body was stiff with tension and her heart was bursting in her chest. Just watching the handsome red-head slip an engagement ring on her finger was enough to make anyone feel the need to pass out. But feeling his lips on her skin only made her want to jump his bones again.  
  
'ARGH! Down girl!!' Kaoru screamed at herself, giving her head a little shake to clear away her thoughts again.  
  
Kenshin looked up through his lashes at Kaoru as she gazed down at him. His current situation wasn't exactly how he had planned popping the question to the woman he loved, but the woman present was exactly how he had imagined her.  
  
Too bad the engagement was a sham to keep up appearances, and that bastard Saito was watching his every movement.  
  
Kenshin straightened again, and moved to slip the wedding band on. As he watched his hand move forward, he felt slightly light headed. He gave himself a mental shake.  
  
'Calm down, Himura. It's not real.' he thought to himself.  
  
Kaoru watched in fascination as Kenshin's hand shook slightly while he slid the ring onto her finger. For a moment, she imagined being in a beautiful white dress, in front of an alter somewhere, with all her friends and family looking on.  
  
'Pipe dream, Kamiya, get rid of it now.' a voice said in her head.  
  
Stupid conscious.  
  
Kenshin slid the ring on, and looked up into Kaoru's eyes again. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her so thoroughly that the kiss they shared a little while before hand would seem like a small peck in comparison. Then he wanted to drag her back into the elevator and bring her back to their room and....  
  
No..... first, stop the elevator. He didn't think he could make it all the way to the 20th floor without making love to her.  
  
Besides, he had always had a fantasy about having Kaoru in the elevator.  
  
Well, as long as he remembered knowing her.... and ever since he remembered the fragments of memories involving them both in the elevator the previous night.  
  
Kenshin shook his head viciously to rid himself of the images playing in his brain.  
  
"Kenshin, are you alright?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin merely smiled and nodded. He misplaced his voice at that point. He also found it very hard to breathe.....  
  
"Well, after that display, I think I should get back to work. Enjoy your stay Mr. and Mrs. Himura." Saito smirked and turned away. Kenshin thought he was in the clear and started to breathe a sigh of relief when Saito stopped a few steps away and turned back to the couple. "I almost forgot. Mrs. Himura, shouldn't you put the ring on your husband?"  
  
Kaoru blinked.  
  
Kenshin squeaked.  
  
Both Saito and Kaoru gave Kenshin a queer look.  
  
'Breathe Himura. Just breathe!' Kenshin thought as he cleared his throat in a vain attempt to dislodge his heart.  
  
"You're absolutely right." Kaoru replied, and took the ring box out of Kenshin's increasingly weakening hand. She fished out the band and grabbed Kenshin's hand.  
  
"Ah! There you are! I've been looking for...." Sano exclaimed, then stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Hajime Saito stood beside Kenshin and Kaoru, and Kaoru was putting a wedding ring on Kenshin's finger.  
  
The first thing wrong with that scene was that Hajime Saito was there. If there was one thing Sano hated more than losing at craps, it was Hajime Saito.  
  
The second thing was the colour of Kenshin's face.  
  
Kenshin stared wide-eyed at Kaoru as she moved to put the wedding band on his left hand. Part of him wanted to haul his hand away and run. The other part wanted to get the ring on, then move straight to the wedding night. The wedding night scenario was a whole lot more appealing than the running away scenario.  
  
Okay, so his brain wasn't functioning properly, nor were his lungs for that matter, but his sexual drive was still in peak form. No pun intended.  
  
Kaoru slid the ring on Kenshin's finger and stood back. He was wide-eyed either in fear or shock. Either way he looked so adorably cute that Kaoru wanted to hug him fiercely. Then kiss him all over and have her way with him in the middle of the lobby. Even in front of that 'Hajime' guy.  
  
'Breathe Himura. BREATHE!' Kenshin mentally screamed.  
  
Kaoru couldn't help it, the man before her was too..... just..... too! She reached out, grabbed his shirt collar and hauled him towards her, firmly planting her lips on his.  
  
Kenshin's mind went totally blank. She ran her hands up over his shoulders and buried her fingers into his hair. Leaning forward she pressed her entire length to his and moved provocatively against him. She opened her mouth under his, and instinct caused him to follow suit and grant her tongue passage into his mouth where it suggestively played with his own.  
  
Just as fast as she kissed him, she pushed him away.  
  
It had been a seductively passionate kiss that any man would take as an invitation and then wouldn't hesitate to get the woman to the nearest bed.  
  
Kenshin, on the other hand, experienced an overload. His brain shut down, his heart stopped, his stomach fell to his feet, and his sexual drive went berserk.  
  
'BREATHE!'  
  
Nope.  
  
No good.  
  
Kenshin keeled over in a dead faint.  
  
_________________________  
  
A.N. Hehe, it was long overdue. I mean, poor Kenshin has had a rough morning, don't you think?  
  
Next chappie will be up next week hopefully!  
  
Cheers! 


	9. A Forgotten Nightch9

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin isn't mine, I borrowed the characters for this tale.  
  
A.N. Well here's the next chapter. I'm hoping it lives up to expectations. It's becoming more and more heated between Kenshin and Kaoru now. For obvious reasons. I just love torturing this couple! It's so much fun!!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
_______________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Kaoru watched in horror as Kenshin's face went totally white and he fainted right in front of her eyes.  
  
'My hero.' She thought miserably as Sano caught the stunned red head before he hit the floor. There was a moment of absolute stillness and silence in the lobby until Sano, still holding the limp form of Kenshin, burst into laughter.  
  
"Oh man, Kenshin. That was just too good! TELL me you have camera coverage of this entire floor!!" Sano exclaimed at Saito.  
  
"Of course. I will send a copy of the tape to your room." Saito responded, laughing himself. It was in that moment and that moment alone that Sano and Saito had a momentary lapse in their hatred for each other and shared a common interest, torturing Kenshin.  
  
"Oh shut up you two! All you ever do is torture this poor man! What'd he ever do to you?!" Kaoru exclaimed, shoving Sano away from Kenshin who had been laid out on the floor by Sano, just to be sure that he wouldn't be dropped on his head during Sano's fit on hysterics.  
  
"Besides being born with a rod up his ass?" Sano asked. Kaoru merely glared up at the two tall men, then immediately focused her attention back on her fainted husband.  
  
"Kenshin! Kenshin, are you alright? Wake up!" she said as she lightly slapped his face, attempting to wake him up.  
  
"Don't bother raccoon girl. That idiot won't be getting up any time soon." Saito retorted. He pulled out a cigarette and casually lit it, then glanced down at the idiot in question. Kaoru glared up at him, then shot to her feet, snatched the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it to the floor where she stepped on it, effectively putting it out.  
  
"This is a no smoking area, Mr. Saito." she said. Saito pulled out another cigarette.  
  
"This is also my hotel raccoon, and I smoke wherever the hell I like." he replied. Kaoru bristled at the 'raccoon' comment. She did NOT look like a raccoon!  
  
She grabbed his newest cigarette before he had a chance to light it, and snapped it in half.  
  
"But as your patron and paying customer you have the obligation to serve me and my wishes. And I do not want you to smoke in front of me."  
  
Saito raised one eyebrow at the girl.  
  
Sano looked from the manager to the young woman and back again. Knowing Saito, it didn't matter if his opponent was a woman; he'd chew her up and spit her out like she was nothing.  
  
"Kenshin. Wake up. Your wife is picking a fight with Saito." Sano mumbled down at the man. Kenshin didn't flinch, he remained in his unconscious state.  
  
Of course, had anyone seen the dreams in Kenshin's mind, they would have understood his need... or rather desire.... to stay unconscious.  
  
Let's just say Kaoru..... and leave it at that.  
  
"You, Mrs. Himura, are not a paying customer. Your husband is. And he is currently unavailable." Saito responded easily as he pulled out his third cigarette.  
  
Kaoru glared up at the man. She truly HATED him. Not because of some sense of allegiance to Kenshin, but because he was a truly detestable man! She reached up once again to snatch the cigarette from his mouth when his hand shot out and gripped her wrist in an iron grasp.  
  
As soon as his hand wrapped itself around Kaoru's wrist, another hand shot out and grabbed Saito's wrist. Angry amber eyes looked up at the hotel owner.  
  
"Don't you touch my wife, Saito." Kenshin growled, prying Saito's hand away from Kaoru and pushing her backward. Kaoru stumbled against Sano's rigid frame.  
  
Seeing Kenshin with the murderous look in his eyes was frightening.  
  
And EXCITING!!!!  
  
Kaoru's heart rate increased tenfold as she looked at the man before her. Sano felt the increase in Kaoru's breathing and rolled his eyes. She had to be perfect for Kenshin if she was turned on when he was pissed. Most women... no wait... all women, were afraid of Kenshin when they had seen him lose his temper.  
  
Except for the little raccoon girl before him.  
  
Sano smirked.  
  
Saito calmly lit his cigarette and brushed Kenshin's hand aside.  
  
"I have no interest in fighting you today, Himura. Maybe some other time." Saito said, then turned and sauntered away.  
  
"Count on it, Hajime." Kenshin growled, absolutely seething. How DARE that greasy bastard lay a finger on HIS Kaoru! One moment he had been in a deep slumber, dreaming very naughty dreams, and the next he felt Kaoru's alarm and he was awake, on his feet and defending her. That girl had amazing power over him.  
  
Kenshin turned back towards Kaoru. He took one look at her flushed face, her rising chest from her heavy breathing, and knew that he had to have her. NOW!  
  
Kenshin didn't utter a word as he stalked over the Sano and Kaoru, where he grabbed Kaoru's wrist and started dragging her towards the elevators. Sano smirked. No way in hell was he going to allow them to get away now! He followed.  
  
Kaoru didn't know what was going on. The rage in Kenshin's eyes was extremely frightening but she trusted him completely. She was probably going to be chewed out for acting so brazen around a dangerous man like Hajime Saito. And she could tell he was dangerous since he caused such a reaction from the normally calm, even goofy, Kenshin.  
  
Still, she couldn't help but feel extremely excited to be with the amber- eyed man before her.  
  
"Hey, Kenshin. Where are you going? I thought you were going to get breakfast." Sano said as the couple stopped at the elevators and Kenshin angrily punched the Up button. The doors immediately opened and Kenshin stepped in, dragging Kaoru behind him. Sano made to enter but Kenshin held up his hand.  
  
"If you think for one minute that you're getting in this elevator, you are sadly mistaken Sagara."  
  
"But.."  
  
"And if you even consider coming anywhere near my room for the rest of this trip, I will kill you." and the doors slid shut.  
  
Sano stared at the closed doors for a moment in absolute shock. Kenshin had threatened him. Actually THREATENED him, and meant it!  
  
"Oh missy, you certainly bring out the best in him!" Sano said. He shoved his hands into his pocket and turned from the doors.  
  
"Should we interrupt them?" a voice asked sweetly.  
  
Sano turned and smiled.  
  
In the elevator, Kaoru stood in uncertainty. Was she about to get a serious telling off? The last thing she wanted was Kenshin to be mad with her. At least he had pushed the button for the 20th floor. He wasn't going to dump her off with Misao and Aoshi. He was going to chastise her in private. Her excitement was dying rapidly.  
  
Kenshin stood rigidly at Kaoru's side. He didn't touch her, he didn't look at her, he didn't speak to her. If he did, there would have been nothing that could have stopped him from taking her. He needed to hold out until they got to their room. He just needed her to be silent and he would make it.  
  
Kaoru remain silent? Yeah.... right.  
  
"Ken.." Kaoru started. She didn't even have the second syllable of his name uttered when Kenshin's desires exploded and his mouth seized hers in a fiery kiss. His hands hauled her form against his, and then ran over her enticingly.  
  
Kaoru was shocked for a mere millisecond. But when she caught the look of blind rage and desire in Kenshin's amber eyes, all was lost to her. She only felt. She felt his achingly sweet tongue enter her mouth; she felt his hot hands running up her sides, under her shirt; and she felt his desire for her pressed against her hip.  
  
Kenshin's second favorite shirt was torn open and Kaoru ran her hands over the muscles of his stomach and chest, feeling them bunch under her fingertips. Kenshin entangled his fingers in her long raven black hair and hauled her head back. Her mouth was slightly parted, swollen and damp from his kisses, her eyes were dark and smoky with desire for him. Kenshin leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips, then allowed his mouth to travel down her chin to her neck where he tortured her with his tongue and his teeth all over again. Kaoru whimpered and arched against him instinctively.  
  
Neither of them noticed the ding of the elevator, or the sound of the doors opening. But they were immediately snapped out of their foreplay when a very soft 'ahem' was heard.  
  
The elderly couple didn't expect to see two young people partially dressed and pawing at each other in the elevator when they called it. It wasn't even noon yet!  
  
"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" the woman retorted at her husband giving him a sharp jab in the side.  
  
Kenshin froze in mid-kiss. His lips were firmly fastened to Kaoru's neck, one hand was at her side so his fingers could play at the side of her breast, the other was under her knee which was currently at rest around his waist. His shirt had been torn open, again, and buttons littered the elevator floor.  
  
Kaoru froze, her head thrown back to give Kenshin easier access to her neck. One leg was wrapped around his waist, her back was firmly pressed against the wall of the elevator, her clothes were disheveled, her hair was in disarray, and her hands at the button of Kenshin's pants.  
  
"Heads up!" a voice called. The next second the couple was drenched in cold water. Kenshin and Kaoru disentangled themselves from each other and turned, only to find themselves staring at Kstsu, Aoshi, and Misao and the elderly couple. In Aoshi's hands was a bucket that had been full of cold water moments before hand. Now all the water was either on Kenshin and Kaoru, or the floor of the elevator.  
  
"Katsu!" Kenshin exclaimed, assuming the prankster was responsible for their unwanted cold shower.  
  
"It wasn't me red!" Katsu exclaimed indignantly. Well, the attempt to be indignant was there, but when one is laughing too hard to breathe, indignant is thrown out the window.  
  
Aoshi held up the empty bucket proudly as he held a hysterical Misao upright.  
  
"Aoshi?!" Kenshin was shocked again. That Misao must have been something if she managed to cause Aoshi to change personalities so completely.  
  
"Kenshin, you should have seen the look on your face!" Aoshi called, holding his stomach as he continued to laugh.  
  
The adjacent elevator dinged, announcing it's arrival. Sano stepped out, took one look at the dumbfounded elderly couple, the hysterical three, and the drenched Kenshin and Kaoru and burst into laughter.  
  
"Aw shit! I missed it!" he cried.  
  
Kenshin stepped out of the elevator and glared at all his 'friends'. Kaoru was right behind him, and he couldn't help but notice her lovely, wet, t- shirt.  
  
"You planned this, didn't you?" Kaoru asked, grabbing her shirt and hauling it away from her skin. Sano grinned down at her.  
  
"Would I ever do such a thing?" Sano asked innocently.  
  
"Yes." came five different voices. The elderly couple giggled and shuffled into the dry elevator.  
  
"You five youngsters remind me of my youth." the man said. He put his arm around his wife and grinned at the 5 faces staring at him as the doors closed.  
  
"Weren't they sweet?" Misao asked, grinning.  
  
"Youngsters?" the four men chimed. The youngest of the bunch was Sano at 31. Youngsters?!  
  
"They were very sweet." Kaoru agreed. She smiled at the wet red-head when his eyes locked with hers. His eyes skimmed over her soaked form and turned from the soft amethyst they currently were to a deep burning amber. Kaoru felt warmth spread over her body at his heated gaze.  
  
She could defiantly spend the rest of her life receiving looks like that one from that man.  
  
"I think Kaoru and I need to get out of these wet clothes." Kenshin said softly not taking his eyes off his wife. Kaoru blushed prettily and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Sure, we'll meet you downstairs guys." Katsu replied easily ushering the other three into the wet elevator. "Saito isn't going to be happy about this." He said indicating the elevator floor.  
  
"So what? That bastard can afford a mop." Sano replied, hitting the button.  
  
"See you downstairs!" Misao chirped happily as the doors slid shut, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru alone in the hallway.  
  
Kaoru was uneasy. Those 4 spent the entire morning interrupting them, laughing at them, and just getting in the way. Now all of the sudden they left the couple alone, even leaving the floor completely.  
  
Something wasn't right.  
  
Kenshin's hand slid up Kaoru's back ever so gently, banishing all thoughts in her mind. He pulled her towards him, firmly molding her body to his, his lips just a breath away from hers.  
  
"Where were we?" he whispered. Kaoru smiled and slid her arms around his neck. At least their private moments were no longer awkward. It was pretty obvious that they both wanted a piece of the other.  
  
Kaoru felt Kenshin begin to push her towards their room, she easily complied and soon found her back pressed against the door. Kenshin's mouth captured her own in a torturously slow kiss. His fingers drew up her sides and gently buried themselves in her hair.  
  
Kaoru fumbled with Kenshin's rear pocket where the room key was. She had watched him slip it in there just minutes before hand when they left the room and had wanted to follow it with her hands. She fished the key out and slipped it into the lock.  
  
Kenshin dislodged one hand and opened the door.  
  
The couple stumbled in, Kenshin kicked the door closed behind him and shoved Kaoru up against it again, his kiss turning more heated.  
  
Kaoru returned the heat with her own, her fingers buried into his hair and she opened her mouth under his.  
  
WHACK!  
  
Kenshin saw stars when something hard struck him in the back of his head.  
  
"Oro!" he exclaimed, ripping his mouth from Kaoru's.  
  
"Hey you old pervert! Get your hands off her!"  
  
___________________________________  
  
A.N. Man, that poor Kenshin, he's having a really great day, and a really bad day!  
  
Hope you enjoyed it! See ya next week! 


	10. A Forgotten Nightch10

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine. Merely borrowed for your reading pleasure  
  
A.N. Better late than never I say! =shifty eyes=  
  
I know, I promised this chapter a month ago. I feel terrible for being the horrible procrastinator that I am. I give you no excuse, I just ask that you forgive me for my lateness. =bows repeatedly=  
  
I've had terrible writers block, so I hope this chapter is okay!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
_______________________________  
  
A Forgotten Night  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Old pervert!" Kenshin exclaimed, turning to see a small boy brandishing what looked like a wooden sword.  
  
"Get your hands off her!" the boy repeated. Kaoru's heart stopped at the unsettlingly familiar voice. Peaking out from around Kenshin, she laid eyes on the last person she expected to see in a luxury suite in a casino hotel.  
  
"Yahiko!" she exclaimed, pushing the dumbfounded and still frustrated Kenshin out of her way. "What in God's name are you doing here?!"  
  
"I'm here to protect you!" Yahiko exclaimed proudly. Reaching out he grabbed Kaoru's wrist and hauled her behind him, shielding her from the lecherous old man. Kenshin stood rubbing his sore head, glaring at the kid who interrupted his steady seduction of his wife.  
  
"Protect me? From what?"  
  
"From this perverted old man, that's what!" he cried, brandishing his wooden sword haphazardly.  
  
"Listen kid, I am not old." Kenshin muttered, looking away from the pair.  
  
Kaoru winced. Yahiko grit his teeth, and swung the sword at the unsuspecting red-head. The wood connected hard with Kenshin's head, sending him reeling once again.  
  
"I am not a kid!" Yahiko yelled bringing his sword down again towards Kenshin.  
  
In an instant, Yahiko was pushed back into Kaoru's arms, the wooden sword was out of his grasp, and Kenshin stood staring down at the boy, holding the sword in his own hands.  
  
"And I am not old. Who are you?" Kenshin asked.  
  
Kaoru blinked. From the moment she laid eyes on him.... well.... sober eyes, she knew there was something different about him. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. But there it was. His speed. The way he held the wooden sword.  
  
"You've practiced swordsmanship, haven't you?" she asked. Kenshin's eyes moved back up from Yahiko's to Kaoru's and he nodded slightly.  
  
He looked awkward holding the wooden sword. As if he wasn't used to its lighter weight.  
  
He looked downright sexy!  
  
Kaoru shook her head to clear her thoughts.  
  
'BAD! Not while Yahiko is here!' she yelled in her mind.  
  
"Kenshin, this is Yahiko, my little brother. Yahiko, this is Kenshin, my...." she trailed off. How could she describe Kenshin to Yahiko? Her husband? Her friend? Her hunka-burnin' love?  
  
"Brother?" Kenshin asked, surprised at this piece of information. He lowered the sword and relaxed.  
  
'Calling me a perverted old man must run in the family' he thought grimly as he watched Kaoru's hands close over Yahiko's shoulders and turn him around to face her. Kenshin allowed a moment to indulge in some rather naughty thoughts on where he'd like Kaoru's hands on him.  
  
"Yahiko, why are you here? I left you with M-"  
  
"I came because I.... I.... missed you." Yahiko said lowly, staring down at his feet. Kenshin felt for the boy, anyone could miss Kaoru, especially her little brother. All thoughts on kicking the kid out and having his way with his wife were dashed, much to his dismay.  
  
Kenshin was shocked when Kaoru balled up her fist and knocked Yahiko square in the head.  
  
"Nice try, Yahiko. But you're a terrible liar!"  
  
"Ow! You damn ugly girl! That hurt!" Yahiko yelled.  
  
"Ugly! I am not ugly you little brat!"  
  
"Ha! Have you looked in the mirror lately, UGLY? Your hair's a mess, your clothes are all wrinkly, you look ugly to me. She's ugly isn't she pervert?" Yahiko cried as he and Kaoru physically fought each other.  
  
Kenshin stood dumbfounded. His sweet, cute, unbearably sexy Kaoru was at war with her little brother, in the middle of his hotel suite. At that point, Kaoru had a hold of Yahiko's cheeks, Yahiko had a hold of Kaoru's cheeks, and they were pulling as hard as they could.  
  
"Now, now." Kenshin said, raising his hands in an attempt to calm them. "Yahiko, I don't think you should call your sister ugly, it's not very nice."  
  
"Ha! You heard Kenshin. Don't call me ugly!" Kaoru exclaimed triumphantly. Yahiko glared at Kenshin once again.  
  
"And I don't think you should pick on your brother like that, Kaoru. He means well." Kenshin continued.  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
Kenshin looked at the siblings. They both stared back at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Yahiko slowly backed away from the ticking time bomb that was his sister. He knew from her slowly changing expression that the red-head who had been feeling her up a short moment ago was about to be on the receiving end of a Kaoru special attack.  
  
Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Yahiko's wooden sword was in Kaoru's right hand, Kenshin's shirt was clutched in her left, and Kenshin himself was being beaten over the head.  
  
"How DARE you side with my brother you jerk! Men! All the same! You always take each other's side! Never the girl! I thought you were different Kenshin! If you thought for one minute you were sleeping with me, you're sadly mistaken buddy! You're on the couch tonight!!!"  
  
And with that, Kenshin was released where he fell on his butt in the middle of his hotel room, while Kaoru stomped over to the bedroom and slammed the door shut, closing herself inside.  
  
"Oro?"  
  
"You don't know anything, do you?" Yahiko muttered walking over to pick up his sword. Kenshin rubbed his sore head ruefully.  
  
"Apparently not. What did I do?" Kenshin wondered aloud.  
  
"You scolded her, that's what you did. No one scolds Kaoru."  
  
"Kaoru's word is law?" Kenshin asked as he picked himself up off the floor and attempted to straighten his clothes. From the looks of things, he was going to be staying in them for a lot longer then he had initially wanted.  
  
"Yup." was the reply. Kenshin nodded.  
  
"I'll remember that."  
  
There was a pause as the man and boy stared at the closed bedroom door. The silence became very strained just because of the angry young woman in the next room.  
  
When faced with an angry woman, every man knows what to do.  
  
"Hungry?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
They run away.  
  
Yahiko and Kenshin immediately went for the door. As much as he'd rather be in the bedroom with Kaoru, he would rather spend 5 minutes in the company of Saito than face an angry Kaoru.  
  
"Frightening." Kenshin said as he opened the door.  
  
"You got that right." came the reply.  
  
Kenshin paused at the door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yahiko asked. Kenshin grabbed the soaked side of his shirt and pulled it away from his body.  
  
"I need to change." he replied meekly, turning and looking at the bedroom door with dread. Yahiko winced.  
  
"Better you than me." he retorted as he strolled down the hallway. "I'll call the elevator, you try and get past ugly."  
  
"Don't call her ugly, Yahiko." Kenshin replied as he turned back into the suite, closing the door behind him and facing the bedroom. Swallowing what had to be his terrified heart in his throat, Kenshin edged towards the bedroom door.  
  
'No need to panic. Just get in, grab your clothes and get out. Avoid eye contact or else she'll kill you.' Kenshin said to himself. He paused at the door, took a deep breath, and opened it silently.  
  
The sight that befell him caused his pounding heart to stop.  
  
Kaoru stood in the centre of the room, wearing nothing but a bed sheet and her hair. She had the sheet wrapped around her body, exposing her legs from mid thigh down to her toes. Her fisted hand on her chest held it closed.  
  
But it wasn't her current state of dress.... or undress for that matter.... that had caused Kenshin to stop dead. It was the look in her eyes.  
  
Two words: smoldering temptress. If it was physically possible, Kenshin's clothes would have caught fire just from her heated look.  
  
She crooked one finger at him, beckoning him closer. As if being pulled by an invisible line, Kenshin felt himself walking towards her.  
  
Kaoru watched in fascination as amethyst eyes melted into burning amber as Kenshin drew closer. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest and she felt breathless. She had hoped that Kenshin had gotten the hint and sent Yahiko on his merry way. She knew the kid would have been scared of her temper, but she figured Kenshin wouldn't.  
  
Kenshin came to a stop directly in front of his wife. He didn't touch her, but his body was a hairs breath from hers. He simply stared down into her hot blue eyes and waited for her next command.... waited until he could wait no more.  
  
"We better get you out of those wet clothes." she whispered.  
  
"Go ahead." was the husky reply.  
  
Unbearably sexy, he was!  
  
Kaoru's hands trembled as she reached out to unbutton Kenshin's soaked shirt. It was plastered to his frame, so she could already seen his form. Her hungover state earlier that morning had caused her to semi-overlook his gorgeous body. Flat chest, muscles, Kaoru had to catch herself before she made a complete fool out of herself and literally DROOLED over the man before her.  
  
Kaoru pushed the wet fabric open and ran her hands up his exposed chest. Oh yeah, this is exactly where she wanted to be.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Sano stood at the end of the hallway, near the elevators. He saw Yahiko walking down the hall towards him, but no Kenshin.  
  
"Hey kid, where's the red-head and raccoon girl?"  
  
"I'M NOT A KID!" Yahiko yelled. He threatened to hit Sano with the sword just as Sano raised his hands in defense.  
  
"Sorry! Hey Yahiko, where's the red-head and raccoon girl?" he repeated, correcting himself before the 14 year old hit him.  
  
"Kaoru's pissed and she's locked herself in the room. Kenshin was wet so he went to change his shirt." Yahiko replied. "You better stop talking to me, he'll think something is up if we're caught talking. I can't believe he married that ugly girl." He added with a mutter.  
  
"Ahh, little Yahiko, when you're older, you'll understand." Sano smirked, ruffling Yahiko's hair. Yahiko slapped the offending hand.  
  
"I'm not an idiot Sano. I saw him feel her up. Hot and heavy they were. What I don't understand is why such a great guy like Kenshin is with such an ugly girl like Kaoru." Yahiko replied.  
  
He knew of Kenshin from two years before hand. Yahiko was in a swordsmanship competition and Kenshin was an advanced competitor. Yahiko watched the small man, totally riveted as Kenshin easily defeated every single opponent that came his way. He was incredibly strong and fast! Yahiko idolized him from that time forward. Secretly he hoped he could get Kenshin to teach him some moves, Yahiko dreamed of being as good as Kenshin.  
  
"That's hormones for you. I know you're not an idiot Yahiko, but trust me. In 4 years, you'll understand completely." Sano replied, a smirk on his face.  
  
They both stood in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"He's taking quite a long time to change his shirt and pants." Sano remarked, glancing down the hallway towards Kenshin's door.  
  
"Jeez, and you say I don't understand yet." Yahiko retorted.  
  
"What are you talking about, kid?" Sano asked, glaring down at Yahiko. Deliberately ignoring Sano's 'kid' comment, Yahiko heaved a sigh and turned to the business man with the IQ of a turnip.  
  
"He's getting out of his wet clothes, but I'd bet my boken he's not getting into dry ones. Kaoru faked her anger to get me out of the room." Yahiko replied. Sano blinked down at the 14 year old with the testosterone levels of a grown man.  
  
"Oh no. Happy couple can't consummate just yet." Sano said as he fished out the hotel key for Kenshin's room. Turning on his heal, Sano made his way down the hallway, inserted the key and entered the hotel suite with Yahiko hot on his heals.  
  
"Stay here." He told Yahiko as he quietly made his way to the bedroom door. Pressing his ear to the door, he didn't hear any screams or moans of ecstasy so he threw the door wide.  
  
"Lucy, I'm - "  
  
But his catch phrase was drowned out when he was hit square in the face with cold water, soaking his shirt and pants straight through in a heartbeat.  
  
"Walk in on my wife and I one more time Sagara and what I'll hit you with will be a whole lot more painful than cold water." Kenshin growled. Sano cleared the excess water out of his eyes and looked at the pair. Kaoru wore a hotel bathrobe, Kenshin was shirtless, still wearing his soaked pants, and holding the ice bucket that dripped water drops onto the carpeted floor.  
  
Yahiko heard the splash from the living room and rushed up to Sano, only to see his whole front half soaked to the skin. His only reaction was to burst out laughing.  
  
"Sano, you look like a drowned rat!" Yahiko laughed, and then froze.  
  
Sano gave Yahiko a murderous glare. The kid just blew it!  
  
Kaoru watched her younger brother with a confused expression on her face. How did Yahiko know Sano's name?  
  
Kenshin merely raised one eyebrow.  
  
"Lucy, you've got some 'xplaining to do." Kenshin said.  
  
Yahiko swallowed.  
  
_____________________________________________  
  
A.N. Got questions?! I hope so. There's a whole lot more to this story than meets the eye. :D  
  
Anyways, I thought I'd clear up a couple of questions that's been posted in the reviews but first things first.  
  
THANK YOU!!!!! I've reached the 200 mark in reviews for this story and that makes me very happy. You readers are wonderful people and I thank you for your kind words.  
  
Okay, to clear up some things, I'd like to properly announce the ages of each of the characters. Kenshin, Sano, Katsu and Aoshi are all in their early thirties. Sano's the youngest of the men, he's 31. Kenshin's the oldest of the men, he's 32. Katsu and Aoshi are 31 and 32 respectively. I talk about 'older' in months between birthdates. You know the deal.  
  
Kaoru and Misao are both the same age at 24. Yahiko is 14 (as you saw in this chapter).  
  
So, when I said ["Youngsters?" the four men chimed. The youngest of the bunch was Sano at 31. Youngsters?!] back in chapter 9, I meant that out of the men, Sano was the youngest. Sorry for the confusion.  
  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D 


	11. A Forgotten Nightch11

Disclaimer: RK and its characters are not mine, I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
A.N. Greetings! Again... ^_^;;  
  
=bows profusely=  
  
I know, almost 4 months for this chapter! It's killing you guys! But that's what happens when you're stuck in school. :P Sorry it took so long.  
  
So here's the next installment, hope you like it!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Aoshi sat in the restaurant, discretely staring at his wife who sat across from him. He smiled slightly at her face which was deep in thought. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she stared intently at the menu in front of her. She was biting her lower lip which drew his attention immediately.  
  
He had to physically force himself to stay put when her small tongue flicked out and moistened her lower lip as she glanced through the choices.  
  
Watching her tongue only reminded him of the last 24 hours....  
  
=========================  
  
Aoshi sat in the rear of the limo, staring dejectedly out the window at the glimmering lights of the Las Vegas strip as the group of four were chauffeured to their hotel.  
  
'How in the name of God did I allow myself to be talked into this?' he asked himself for the third time that minute. His blue eyes swung away from the lights that were Vegas to the two pairs of legs in the centre of the back seat. Sano and Katsu were enjoying themselves already.  
  
Aoshi silently sighed and turned his gaze from the four legs to the short red-head sitting beside him. Kenshin had also averted his eyes from the two crazies sticking out of the car.  
  
This was going to be a long weekend.  
  
Aoshi looked back at Sano and Katsu, their exclamations of excitement were lost to the outside world, but he distinctly heard a few cat calls coming from the two men. Honestly, it was lucky for the general population of women that both men had been 'tamed' by their significant others.  
  
"Kenshin, are you sure this was a good idea?" Aoshi asked his law partner. Kenshin swung his gaze from the window, to the two loonies, and then to Aoshi.  
  
"I've always had my doubts, Aoshi. But it's Sano's bachelor party." was the reply.  
  
Aoshi blinked. Surely that wasn't the only reasoning Kenshin had?! He was a top ranking lawyer, best in the business! He had to have something other than that to work with.... right?  
  
Aoshi raised an eyebrow, calling into question the sanity of the red-head.  
  
Yep, defiantly going to be a long.... LONG weekend.  
  
It was in no time flat that they were in the main lobby of the hotel. Sano had followed Kenshin to the check-in desk while Aoshi did all in his power to ignore Katsu who was making a fool of himself not 3 feet from the ice cold lawyer.  
  
"Aoshi, ever see something so huge? This is GREAT! I can't wait to hit the booze. Since Kenshin is paying I am raiding my mini bar the second I get in that suite! We're getting canned tonight Shinomori!!!" Katsu exclaimed, slapping his colleague in the back.  
  
Aoshi remained silent, staring at the cheesy artwork that was found in most hotels. Even though the Monte Carlo Hotel/Casino was a top rated spot in Vegas, it didn't take away from the fact that it was still a hotel, and therefore had the ugly hotel carpeting and artwork that was the norm for hotels across the world.  
  
Not one to be ignored, Katsu grabbed Aoshi's ear and tugged hard, hauling the taller man down. Aoshi winced in pain and swatted Katsu's hand away, glaring at the same time.  
  
"What's wrong with you, deaf or something?" Katsu retorted. Aoshi sniffed and straightened, turning his gaze away from the painting and allowing his eyes to roam the foyer.  
  
"No. I'm ignoring you in hopes that no one in the hotel will think I know you."  
  
Katsu laughed at the retort and threw his arm around his friend's shoulder.  
  
"Ignore me all you like, but by the end of this evening, everyone in this whole damn hotel will know you and I are friends." Katsu grinned. Aoshi shrugged the offending arm off and glanced at the front desk where Kenshin and Sano were.  
  
As per usual, the young woman behind the desk was flirting with the handsome red-head.  
  
Aoshi turned away from the desk and from the babbling Katsu only to have his eyes land and lock on a young woman who had just entered the lobby.  
  
She was petite, with long raven black hair pulled back off her young face in a long braid. Even from across the room Aoshi could see her bright green eyes and how they lit up when she smiled.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
Katsu noticed Aoshi staring and followed the line of sight only to set eyes on the object of interest. Or rather, objects. Katsu wasn't sure which one had caught the attention of the otherwise inattentive man, but the two women he was looking at were stunning in their own beauty.  
  
One girl, the smaller of the two, had a long braid and bright green eyes. The other, taller woman, had her black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her bright blue eyes shone with wonder as she looked around the foyer. Her ponytail was tied back with an indigo blue ribbon.  
  
It was her.  
  
Katsu smiled mischievously and glanced back up at his friend.  
  
"Wow-ie! Look what the cat dragged in! Man that's one hot little number." Katsu exclaimed. He watched blue eyes narrow and pressed ahead. "What do you think Mr. Shinomori?"  
  
Aoshi clenched his jaw. He had been caught staring at a woman, and by KATSU of all people. But.... when in Rome.  
  
"Yes, she is quite..." he couldn't do it! He just couldn't bring himself to say 'hot little number'. "beautiful."  
  
"Think so? I'll go get her room number for you!" Katsu stated proudly and started towards the two women. He hadn't even taken two steps before a strong hand had clamped down on the back of his neck, stilling his movements.  
  
"No. You won't." Aoshi said simply. He gave Katsu a warning squeeze and then released the man. Anything else said by Katsu was ignored as Aoshi continued to watch the green-eyed beauty.  
  
She walked with a bounce in her step, but with an underlying grace that would normally be overlooked by most men. Her smile was open and friendly, and her hair dark and glistening. But her eyes were her most beautiful feature.  
  
That and her figure. She had one sexy body. Definitely curved in the right places. Aoshi could feel his palms start to itch as desire for the green-eyed beauty coursed through him like a bolt of lightening.  
  
He wondered what she would be like in bed....  
  
Aoshi shook his head at that thought. He was channeling Katsu! A sick cold shiver ran up his spine.  
  
Ugh....  
  
"Looks like we're in business! Let's go check out the goods!" Katsu said as he watched the remaining two members of their party walk away from the check-in desk with key cards in hand.  
  
"I already am." Aoshi replied, allowing his eyes to centre on the young woman's nicely curved rear. Katsu followed Aoshi's gaze once again and figured out that it was the shorter woman Aoshi was expressing interest in. Good.  
  
"She has got one fine ass on her." Katsu remarked.  
  
"Yes she does." Aoshi replied. He blinked and shook his head to clear his mind of the rather naughty thoughts he was thinking. He glanced over only to find Katsu smirking up at him. "Oh shut up." Aoshi retorted and started to follow Kenshin and Sano as they made their way to the elevators.  
  
"I didn't say a word." Katsu replied. He fell into step beside Aoshi and remained silent as they piled into the elevator.  
  
Sano had Kenshin in a firm headlock.  
  
It was a few hours later that Aoshi had the opportunity to see the green- eyed woman again. He and Katsu were sitting in a corner of the hotel bar; they had managed to snag one of the more secluded corners with large comfortable leather chairs surrounding a low circular table. Both men had a drink in hand as they waited for Kenshin and Sano to join them.  
  
Katsu was already half cut after raiding his mini-bar, as he had promised to do, so Aoshi had his hands full attempting to keep a buzzed Katsu out of trouble. It was proving to be much more difficult than Aoshi initially thought. Katsu drunk was usually easy to deal with, simply pour the man another drink and he was content.  
  
However, in his partial drunken state, Katsu was a womanizer extraordinaire. He couldn't keep his eyes off the ladies, and it was a full time job to watch the man's hands, he had a tendency to slap some ass whenever a cute waitress would venture near him.  
  
Aoshi took another deep swallow of his double scotch, feeling it necessary to dull the pain that was Katsu with vast amounts of alcohol.  
  
Where in the hell were Sano and Kenshin?!  
  
"Can I get you another drink sir?" a pretty waitress asked as she collected Katsu's empty glass. Katsu smiled in a flirting manner and Aoshi had to polish off his drink to keep from throwing up. He placed the empty glass on her tray.  
  
"Make the next one a triple please." he said quietly. He needed to get drunk and fast, that way he wouldn't be held responsible for any mess Katsu was about to get into.  
  
Then again, Katsu had the fear of God put into him by his woman....  
  
"I will have anything you've got to – "Katsu began, but Aoshi cut him off.  
  
"So how's Tae doing, Katsu?" he asked innocently. He saw the momentary freeze in Katsu's demeanor but the sentence he was uttering didn't skip a beat.  
  
"- drink." He finished. The flirt was cut off at the knees. Aoshi smiled to himself and watched the waitress head for the bar with their orders.  
  
"That was cheap Shinomori." Katsu grumbled. He enjoyed flirting with woman. He loved how they would blush and giggle. But he would never ever even dream of cheating on his girl. He loved her too much to risk that sort of thing.  
  
"No, she was." came the reply, indicating the waitress.  
  
"Granted she was, but still, I'm here to have a little fun, and fun to me is flirting with women!" Katsu replied. Aoshi merely sniffed at the statement.  
  
Katsu regarded his ice cold friend with a calculating eye. He knew Aoshi could hold his drink so there was no way he was going to melt the ice erected around the lawyer with abundant amounts of alcohol. But there had to be some way to get Aoshi to lighten up.  
  
There was, and Katsu watched in delight as she was escorted into the bar by Sano.  
  
"Fine, if I can't flirt with the waitresses, I'll flirt with her." Katsu said inclining his head towards the door. Aoshi allowed his eyes to shift to where Katsu was indicating, only to see his green eyed beauty. A surge of jealousy shot through him when Sano draped his arm around her shoulders and started to steer her towards their table.  
  
He didn't even notice the blue eyed woman and the way Kenshin stared at her, but Katsu certainly did.  
  
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to these fine young women." Sano said as the small group approached the table. "Aoshi, Katsu, this is weasel girl and raccoon girl."  
  
"Sano!" Kenshin snapped. Sano merely grinned.  
  
"Weasel!" the green eyed woman exclaimed.  
  
"Raccoon!"  
  
"Watch it rooster head, or you'll owe us two drinks!" 'Weasel' girl growled. Aoshi smiled. Rooster head suited Sano perfectly.  
  
"Sorry, sorry. This is Misao and Kaoru. Ladies, this is my business partner Katsu, and my lawyer Aoshi." Sano said. It would be his only civil moment for the entire evening.  
  
"Another lawyer? You must be important if you have two lawyers." Misao retorted.  
  
"Babe, you don't know how important I am." Sano leered. Aoshi's eyes narrowed at the rooster head while Misao rolled hers. The waitress returned with the drinks Aoshi and Katsu had ordered and before she finished taking the next round of orders, Aoshi had his triple gone and was requesting a second.  
  
Misao watched Aoshi discretely for most of the evening. She had noticed him the second she had walked into the bar and hoped against all hope that he would be one of the men Sano was meeting. To her utmost joy and delight, Sano introduced them.  
  
He was one gorgeous hunk. Tall, dark and handsome with ice blue eyes that would freeze over anyone who looked at him the wrong way. 'Lawyer' certainly suited him. She couldn't help but wonder what his eyes would look like if they melted.  
  
His hands caught her attention when he took his drink off the waitress' tray and took a sip. Were they soft or rough? Strong or weak? Would he kiss the way he looked; coldly? Or would his lips be hot and feverish as they roamed over her skin?  
  
"Misao, you'll start to drool if you don't stop staring." Kaoru whispered in her friend's ear. Misao slid her eyes away from Aoshi's hands and looked at Kaoru. She was only on her second drink but she was already feeling its effects.  
  
Low alcohol tolerance, thy name is Misao.  
  
"With the fantasies I'm having, I hope I start drooling." Misao whispered back. From the alcohol she was drinking, she was feeling a little more free than usual, and wanted nothing more than to climb into Aoshi's lap and....  
  
Kaoru felt the need to flee the scene. She knew exactly how Misao was feeling at that moment since she too was having some rather naughty fantasies about what she'd like to do with Kenshin. Feeling a need to conference with her friend, Kaoru stood up suddenly.  
  
"I have to pee. Misao, come with me." Kaoru stated. She grabbed her friend's hand and before Misao or anyone else for that matter could stop her, Kaoru was making a beeline for the bathroom.  
  
"Man, if I wasn't getting married, I'd definitely go for Kaoru." Sano remarked, taking another shot of tequila. Kenshin glared at his best friend.  
  
"Well you are getting married, so hands off Sano." Kenshin growled, taking another shot for himself.  
  
"Ooo, do I detect some jealousy in those words Himura?" Sano teased. Kenshin merely glared at the man.  
  
Aoshi watched the scene through half drunken eyes. He wasn't feeling totally plastered, but he was in a good spot. He blocked out the words and allowed himself a moment of silence.  
  
He noticed Misao's lopsided walk towards the bathroom and figured she didn't have much tolerance. And considering the drink Sano had served her, he was surprised that she wasn't passed out on the floor yet.  
  
Of course, the alcohol content in her blood gave her a rather becoming blush across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. The blush only amplified the brightness of her eyes and made Aoshi's palms itch immensely.  
  
He could only imagine what her mouth tasted like. Probably like water to a thirsty man.  
  
At the moment, Aoshi was a VERY thirsty man.  
  
A hand on his shoulder which gently shook him snapped him out of his fantasy of kissing Misao. He opened his mouth to tell off one of his friends only to be met with a pair of green eyes.  
  
His threat died in his throat.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked. A quick glance told Aoshi that they were alone in the little dark corner that they had been occupying with the rest of their group. Kenshin was on the dance floor with Kaoru, while Sano and Katsu were no where to be seen.  
  
Wait.... Kenshin was on the dance floor?!?  
  
Aoshi tore his gaze from Kenshin DANCING and looked up at Misao who stood over him. Her hand was still on his shoulder and she had a concerned look on her beautiful face. He looked down at her hand touching him.  
  
Misao saw the startled look on his face and immediately pulled her offending hand away.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you had passed out. I didn't mean to touch you, I'm sure your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it if her man was touched by another woman I mean I wouldn't want it to happen if I had a boyfriend, which I don't, but that's another story, and anyways I was just checking to see if you were alright I wasn't trying to put the moves on you or anything.." Misao was babbling. She was nervous because Aoshi was still staring at her and she felt like a total fool for thinking she had a snowballs chance in hell of getting a man like Aoshi to look her way.  
  
Misao's babbling was very endearing to Aoshi. The blush on her cheeks spread and soon she was a bright red. She wasn't looking at him anymore, she was merely babbling on staring at her feet and wringing her hands nervously.  
  
Without thinking Aoshi's hand shot out, grabbed Misao's wrist and he pulled her into his lap. With his free hand he put a finger to her lips to quiet her.  
  
Misao froze. One second she was standing before him, making a total fool of herself, the next she was in his lap and his finger was gently pressing against her lips.  
  
Not a word was spoken. Aoshi simply stared at Misao, studying ever curve of her face with his eyes. He brushed his finger against her lower lip and looked up into her eyes. Cupping her face in his hands he pulled her face towards his.  
  
"You are so beautiful." he whispered as he covered her mouth with his own.  
  
He had been right in his fantasies; she did taste like water to a thirsty man. Her mouth was hot and sweet with just the right amount of flavour from alcohol to drive Aoshi wild. He never thought it was possible to be so intensely turned on by a simple kiss, but at that very moment he wanted to drown in her.  
  
Misao melted in his arms when his lips touched hers. She willingly opened her mouth to allow his tongue passage and he took the opportunity like a dying man in need of a drink.  
  
Misao's thoughts on what Aoshi's kiss was like were confirmed. Although he had a cool demeanor and ice cold eyes, his kiss was unbelievably hot and luscious.  
  
Aoshi's tongue gently probed Misao's mouth, tasting her fully and stretching their kiss to something long and torturous.  
  
Something he could enjoy for the rest of his life....  
  
With that thought, Aoshi broke their kiss. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open and her tongue flicked out to catch the last bit of taste Aoshi's mouth had left behind on her lips.  
  
Aoshi swallowed hard at that action.  
  
"I'm in trouble." he said to her in wonder.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
A.N. Well then, it was high time I got to Misao and Aoshi! Plus that and I figured I'd leave K&K alone for a bit, get the details on Misao and Aoshi since they are part of the story!  
  
Yes, I know, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru at such a critical point in their story was a bit horrid of me, but that's the whole point! Cliffhangers!!! :D  
  
Anyways, thank you readers so much for your reviews and emails! They mean so much to me! I know it's been ages since I updated and I apologize to you all. I had a few concerned emails sent to me and it makes me all warm and fuzzy to know you guys care. (. To alleviate and concerns, I was not hurt/injured nor was there anything bad happening in my life, unless you call university bad. Cuz if you do then lots of bad things were happening. I just completed my 3rd year of a science degree (one to go yay!!) and I'm doing an honours degree so that's just extra work for me. Finding time to think up ideas, let alone write them, is next to impossible. But now I'm finished the semester and able to get my head on straight again.  
  
Now, even though the semester is over, that doesn't mean I'll be writing lots and lots again. I have a life and stuff, plus a job that takes up a lot of my time. So while there won't be another 4 month waiting period for the next chapter, I can't say I'll get the next one out next week. So please be patient!  
  
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your patience and wonderful reviews. You guys are the reason I continue to sit before my PC and write. ( 


	12. A Forgotten Nightch12

Disclaimer: RK and it's characters are not mine, I merely borrowed them for my story.

A.N. I dedicate this chapter to all those out there who left me reviews and emails, all pleading to me to update this story.

R&R!

Enjoy!!

* * *

"Trouble?" Misao asked. She wasn't entirely sure what the word meant at that moment. Still slightly dazed, Misao stared into the bottomless blue eyes of Aoshi. She was acutely aware of his arms around her, the feel of his lap beneath her, and the taste of his mouth on her lips.

That was it. Nothing else. Comprehension was just out of reach for her.

Aoshi felt exactly the same. His uttered statement had been totally involuntary and only after a moment of thinking did he realize how true his statement was. He was in trouble. BIG trouble. Just looking at her made his heart ache with need. He blurted the first thing that came to his head.

"Marry me."

With those two words, Misao felt her entire world come to a screeching halt. In fact, she was sure she heard the squeal of the brakes. She pushed against Aoshi's shoulders.

"WHAT?!?" she exclaimed. Her utter shock caused Aoshi to immediately remove his hands from her and she pulled away as if stung. She backed away from the deranged lunatic as he leapt to his feet, holding up his hands in defense.

"I mean.... marry me!" Aoshi stumbled over his words again. It was in his heart to say them, and he knew the moment he had blurted them out they were the right words to say to the woman before him. Deep down, he just knew that she was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

Misao took another step away from the crazy man, as much as her heart screamed 'YES!' her brain screamed 'LUNATIC! RUN!' Unfortunately, her brain was the dominant voice at that instance, but her heart's voice was getting louder with each passing moment.

"Are you crazy?!?" Misao exclaimed. Like lightening, Aoshi's hand shot out and grabbed Misao's wrist. With one deft tug she found herself flush against his solid form, his lips a hairsbreadth away from her own and his other hand buried in her hair. His warmth immediately relaxed her and she unconsciously fit herself to him.

"For you." he whispered against her lips. Misao took in a shaky breath. Her thoughts seemed to be jumbled in his presence.

"But... we've said all of 4 words to each other..." Misao whispered as Aoshi's lips slid softly over her cheek. "Two of those were your proposal."

"Mmm. You smell heavenly." Aoshi murmured into her ear. His warm lips tickled her ear as he softly smelled her hair.

"I.... you.... we...." Misao babbled incoherently. The screaming voice in her head was gone, so was the one in her heart. All she knew was that the man before her was the most divine hunk of man she had ever seen in her life, and he smelled her hair!!

Aoshi moved back to her face and captured her lips with his own again, stopping her attempt at speaking. It was a vain attempt on her part anyways. She knew very well that she wasn't going to get anything thinking or speaking done as long as his lips were within kissing range. Which pretty much meant as long as his lips were in the same building as hers.

Oh hell, who was she kidding? Same planet was kissing range as far as she was concerned.

Aoshi gently slipped his tongue into Misao's soft, pliant mouth, tasting her fully once more. GOD he couldn't seem to get enough of her! He drew back once again, this time he whispered his proposal as he brushed some strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Marry me, Misao."

Misao's eyes fluttered open only to meet with Aoshi's hot blue eyes locked firmly on her own. His eyes were like an aphrodisiac to her.

"We could just go up to my room and get it on." Misao replied. Aoshi raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Or yours? Either one is good."

"Misao, I'm not proposing because I want to, as you so aptly put it, 'get it on', I'm proposing because...." Aoshi stopped for a moment, searching for the right words. "Do you believe in love at first sight Misao?"

Floored. Absolutely stunned. That this hunk of burning love could say something as heavy as the word 'love' to a woman he met only hours before hand was something Misao couldn't even fathom. But she knew that a man like Aoshi never threw the word love around on a whim. When he said it, he meant it. Misao's mind went totally blank. Aoshi had pretty much just admitted that he was in love with her!! What the hell?!? Was she entering into the Twilight Zone?!

"You mean you don't want to get it on?" Misao blabbed the first thing that came to her head. Of course the moment she had it out she wished she could take it back. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!!!

"Misao," Aoshi chuckled, brushing his lips against her forehead, "I don't ever plan on 'getting it on' with you." He slid his lips over her eyelids. "But I promise you this;" his lips softly brushed her chin, "When I make love to you, I'm going to ensure that every cell in your body hums with pleasure."

Puddle of Mush. On the floor. That was Misao.

Aoshi caught her in another searing kiss, one with promise behind it to keep his word.

"Marry me, Misao." He whispered against her lips once again.

"Okay." Misao responded and her voice cracked halfway through the word. She didn't even notice.

"Right now."

"Okay." Same crack in the voice. Aoshi smiled at her. He kissed her once on the tip of her nose, and then took her hand to lead her out of the bar. Shotgun wedding or not, Aoshi didn't care, as long as the woman standing next to him at the alter was Misao.

Aoshi snapped out of his flashback of the previous night. The rest was unimportant... relatively speaking that is. Of course, the wedding night was VERY important, but Aoshi knew that if he thought about it, Misao wouldn't get a chance to eat the waffles she had ordered for breakfast... unless she ate them off him.

Shaking his head once again, Aoshi cleared his thoughts... sort of. Fantasizing about his wife was a new thing to him. Not an unwelcome new thing, but a new thing he planned to enjoy. Especially when he knew any fantasy he came up with would be pale in comparison to the real thing.

"Aoshi?" Misao's voice broke through his thoughts. Blinking, Aoshi looked up at his bride and smiled gently. "What are you thinking?"

Being a man who told the truth for a living, Aoshi wasn't about to deny that from Misao.

"I was thinking about having those waffles delivered to our room." Aoshi grinned, reaching across the table and taking Misao's hand. He ran his thumb over her fingers as she blushed at his comment. "You know, we have to remedy this problem."

Misao's face twisted in confusion.

"Problem? There's a problem already?"

"Only that my wife is wandering around without a wedding ring on." Aoshi replied, lifting her left hand and brushing it gently with his lips.

"Oh." Misao replied. She still wasn't used to having Aoshi around, and having someone like him doting on her. He was amazingly good-looking. And men that gorgeous never showed any interest in Misao. How she managed, or what she did, to capture the attention and ultimately the heart of Aoshi Shinomori was completely unknown to her.

It was that moment that an excited Katsu came to a screeching halt beside their table. Breathing heavily he leaned on the table to catch his breath.

"Kenshin... Saito... mad..." Katsu blurted out between breaths. Misao stared in confusion, while Aoshi merely quirked one eyebrow.

"What?" Aoshi replied.

"Kenshin's out there pissed at Saito who laid a finger on Kaoru and I've never seen him like that, it's a little scary, but Kaoru seems to like it, and they may disappear upstairs again, and we have to stall them, and Ya-" Katsu rushed out but before he finished what he wanted to say Aoshi had figured it out and was on his feet, dragging Misao out of her chair.

"Let's get upstairs now." Aoshi said and sprinted for the door, Misao right behind him, and Katsu struggling to catch up.

The three flew through the lobby, barely noticed by their friends and Saito. Aoshi glanced over and new that Kenshin was about to go rounds with Saito, but he also knew the red head very well, and Kenshin would never do something like that. But from their stance, Kaoru standing protected behind Kenshin who had an iron grip on Saito's wrist, and Sano smirking at the whole thing, Aoshi knew that they would have to race up to the 20th floor where Kenshin's suite was in order to stall them a little longer.

'The plan' had its hitches, but surprising to Aoshi who had no part in developing it, it was working better than expected.

Finding an elevator already on the main floor was a blessing. Katsu was frantically pushing the button for 20 and the door close button. The doors slid shut and they were on their way.

"What are we doing?" Misao finally asked. She had gotten a general overview from Aoshi when everyone had left their room earlier, but minor details were unknown to her.

"We're stalling Kenshin and Kaoru." Katsu replied, staring at the glowing numbers above the floor buttons which told them what floor they had just passed.

"And tell me why again?" Misao asked. But her question was never answered, instead they reached the 20th floor and the doors slid open. Katsu raced out, turned left, then right, then left again. Before he tried the right again, Aoshi grabbed him by the back of the neck to stop the fool from hurting himself, just because he was an idiot, and he could easily hurt himself simply by walking and chewing gum at the same time.

"Calm down." Aoshi stated firmly.

"What do we do? What do we do?!?" Katsu cried frantically. How that man managed to run a multi million dollar company without freaking out everybody surrounding him was a complete mystery to Aoshi. He was becoming certifiable with this whole 'plan' as it unfolded.

"We stall them." Was the simply reply from Aoshi.

"But how? HOW?!?"

"How do you go about suppressing your more... primitive urges?" Aoshi asked.

"Well, me and Tae, we-"

"Okay, you don't need to finish that statement, Katsu. We get the picture." Misao interrupted.

"Tae's not here. What do you do?" Aoshi tried again, looking for the obvious answer which seemed just out of Katsu's reach.

"And don't talk about... that." Misao demanded.

"Okay, I'd fly Tae in."

Aoshi gave up, Misao slapped her hand over her eyes, and the couple was completely exasperated by this point.

"How you manage to function on a day to day basis completely baffles my mind." Aoshi said.

"Cold shower, you idiot, COLD SHOWER!!" Misao finally giving the answer to Aoshi's question.

"But how will you get them into a cold shower?" Katsu asked, very confused by this point.

His response was a pair of dumbfounded looks.

Ignoring the question, and giving up on the education lessons to Katsu, Misao and Aoshi made for Katsu's suite, which was the closest to the elevators, using the key card, Aoshi opened the door and entered the suite. Misao headed straight for the bathroom where she turned on the cold water tap while Aoshi grabbed the ice bucket and brought it to her. They filled the bucket, turned off the tap, and left the bathroom.

"Sano called from downstairs guys, they're on the elevator now!" Katsu exclaimed. Rushing across the suite, Misao and Aoshi heard the 'ding' announcing the arrival. They exited the suite, only to find an elderly couple staring shocked into the elevator.

Sure sign Kenshin and Kaoru were on board, and getting busy with each other.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" the woman retorted at her husband giving him a sharp jab in the side.

"Heads up!" Aoshi exclaimed, and emptied the entire contents of the bucket into the elevator.

With the drenched Kaoru draped over the dripping Kenshin, no one could help bursting into laughter.

"Katsu!" Kenshin exclaimed.

"It wasn't me, red!"

Kenshin's eyes swept over to Aoshi. Proudly holding up the bucket, and a hysterical Misao, Aoshi merely grinned at his friend.

"Aoshi?!"

"Kenshin, you should have seen the look on your face!" Aoshi laughingly replied.

Five minutes later, Sano stood in the suite of Kenshin and Kaoru, dripping wet, and glaring at the 14 year old who shoved his foot in his mouth.

* * *

A.N. Remember that's how I left chapter 10? So once again I've done it to you. :D Anyways, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and emails and support! You guys are great and I write this story for you! :D

I know I haven't updated in quite a few months, but this time I have a reason. I just graduated university! YAY!!! Now I can actually call myself a scientist!! :D YAY!!!! So goal was accomplished, onwards to the rest of my life. Blech. So! Hopefully with this new found "freedom" I will have some extra time to write lots more and hopefully finish this story before some of you hunt me down and tie me to my computer chair.

Each and every time I got another email from someone I'd pound out a little more of this chapter until finally (now) I sit before my computer at 12:45am writing the last few lines, and editing and putting in an Author's Note.

I certainly hope you think this chapter was worth your wait, and if not, I'll try my best to make the subsequent chapters great!

Cheers! And Merry Christmas! :D


	13. A Forgotten Nightch13

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine, I merely borrow the characters for my story.

A.N. Well, here's the next chapter of this story! I hope you like it. I'm having a lot of fun with it. Sometimes its hard to write this though. I usually look for inspiration in the weirdest places. :P

Anyways! On with the story!

RR!

Enjoy!

* * *

It's very disconcerting to be standing in a hotel suite, wearing only a bed sheet, with your kid brother in the same room as you. That was pretty much how Kaoru felt at her present moment. Her husband stood before her, wearing his pants and holding an empty bucket of cold water. In front of him stood a wet drippy Sano.

"Explain what?" Sano asked, wiping some water out of his eyes.

"Don't play innocent with me, Sagara! Something stinks around here." Kenshin replied, tossing the empty bucket onto the bed.

"Why Kenshin, I have no idea what you're talking about." Sano replied again. Sano's motto when it came to many things in life: When all else fails, deny everything.

He used that motto a lot when he was dealing with Megumi.

"You're a terrible liar, Sano, I'd know. I'm your lawyer." Kenshin replied, grabbing his shirt and pulling it back on. It looked like he was once again not going to be able to sleep with his wife. That tidbit of information put him in an even blacker mood.

"Why would I lie! Look I just ran into him at the elevator, thought it was odd for the kid to be there so I talked to him. He turned out to be your brother, raccoon girl, and told me you were changing your wet shirt, Red." Sano replied innocently, wringing out his shirt and allowing drops of water to fall to the floor.

"He's telling the truth! I met him at the elevator." Yahiko piped up.

"Don't you start you little brat! You stay where you are!" Kaoru said, pointing at Yahiko.

"Saaaaannnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooo." A voice whined from the living room. Sano breathed a silent sigh of relief. Thank god, an interruption. Something to take the heat off him for a moment!

"Katsu! In here!" Sano called out to his partner in crime. Katsu strolled through the door and stopped when he saw the group of people.

"What's going on, have a party and didn't invite me? Whoa, Sano. You wet yourself or something?" Katsu smirked when he saw his soaked friend. Sano was less than impressed with Katsu, but anything to take the red-head's attention off himself and the kid was good.

"Yes Katsu, I wet myself, and it was centered entirely on my upper body." Sano replied.

"Sano, that's just gross." Katsu replied. His eyes left Sano, and moved to see an angry Kenshin, and a very sexy Kaoru wearing only a white bed sheet. "Woo! Nice dress! Very sexy!" Katsu exclaimed to Kaoru.

Kaoru then realized, once again, that she was in only a sheet. Her face started to burn with embarrassment, turning the same colour as her husband's hair. She had imagined donning the sheet, and seducing her husband. It had started to work too...

She crooked one finger at him, beckoning him closer. As if being pulled by an invisible line, Kenshin felt himself walking towards her.

Kaoru watched in fascination as amethyst eyes melted into burning amber as Kenshin drew closer. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest and she felt breathless. She had hoped that Kenshin had gotten the hint and sent Yahiko on his merry way. She knew the kid would have been scared of her temper, but she figured Kenshin wouldn't.

Kenshin came to a stop directly in front of his wife. He didn't touch her, but his body was a hairs breath from hers. He simply stared down into her hot blue eyes and waited for her next command... waited until he could wait no more.

"We better get you out of those wet clothes." she whispered.

"Go ahead." was the husky reply.

Unbearably sexy, he was!

Kaoru's hands trembled as she reached out to unbutton Kenshin's soaked shirt. It was plastered to his frame, so she could already see his form. Her hungover state earlier that morning had caused her to semi-overlook his gorgeous body. Flat chest, muscles, Kaoru had to catch herself before she made a complete fool out of herself and literally DROOLED over the man before her.

"Kaoru." Kenshin whispered. Kaoru raised her eyes to his, and found them to be a mix of hot amber, and gentle amethyst.

Kenshin raised his hand and brushed his fingers gently against her smooth cheek. In the back of her mind, Kaoru was aware of Kenshin's shirt falling to the floor but it barely registered. She was captivated by his eyes.

"You are so beautiful." Kenshin whispered and leaned forward for a kiss. Kaoru closed her eyes, anticipating another searing kiss from her gorgeous husband.

Kenshin brushed his lips gently against hers. The softness of his lips, the sweetness of his caress, made Kaoru's toes curl. A warm sensation grew in her stomach and spread to every inch of her being until she was a mass of tingles. The kisses they shared in the past made her want to rip his clothes off him and simply have her way with him. But this one was different, this kiss made her feel safe, comforted... loved.

Kenshin pulled away from her, the look of contentment made him want to sweep her off her feet and make love to her all day, but he knew that he would have no such luck in that until they figure out what Sano is up to.

"Kaoru, I want nothing more than to spend my life making love to you, but we both know that someone will barge in on us at any given moment." Kenshin said. Kaoru closed her eyes, regret quickly forming in her heart. Of course Kenshin was right, someone always barged in on them. It was as if everything was a set up to spoil their time together.

Kenshin ran his fingertips gently across her lower lip, still moist from his kiss, and smiled down at his wife. He had purposely said 'spend my life' because the moment she had slid that wedding band on his finger, he knew that he would do everything in his power to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Well then, we should get them before they get us." Kaoru replied, reaching for the ice bucket and presenting it to Kenshin. He gave her a mischievous smile and quickly kissed her, before going to the bathroom to fill the bucket with cold water.

Kaoru had noticed the 'spend my life' comment too. Did he really mean that or was it just the heat of the moment? Kaoru worried at her lower lip, where she could still taste Kenshin. Could she spend her life with him?

'YES.' her mind screamed.

Was she falling in love with him!

'You already are in love with him, Kaoru.' she told herself.

It was like a cloud over her brain just evaporated, and a huge ton of bricks fell on her. She had somehow managed to fall in love with a man in less than 24 hours.

So there she was, in a sheet, with ten million thoughts all jumbled together in her head. She was surrounded by men, one was her brother, one was the man she loved. And she had never been so scared in her life.

What if he didn't love her? Sure he said 'life' in that statement, but could that just have been the heat of the moment? These questions and more flew through Kaoru's mind as she continued to worry her lower lip.

Kenshin saw the strange look on Kaoru's face. She looked terrified, happy, and worried all at once. Her teeth were visible as she chewed on her lip. Her eyes were directed at the floor right in front of her. Had she caught onto his "life" statement and gotten freaked out? Or was she happy about it? Was she as terrified as she looked?

Ignoring the two men arguing back and forth before him, Kenshin took the two or three steps that separated Kaoru from himself. Reaching out he gently took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and gently grazed the back of it. Kaoru's eyes shot up to his.

"You shouldn't chew on your lip like that, Kaoru. I'll have nothing left to kiss." Kenshin said teasingly. As soon as he said it, Kaoru stopped. She hadn't even realized she had been chewing on her lip. It was a nervous habit. With his free hand, Kenshin cupped her face and brushed her lips over with his thumb.

It was then that Kaoru had some sense in her head that she realized just how rough Kenshin's hands were. Before, whenever he had touched her, she had been so wrapped up in all other things going on that she hadn't noticed.

She really didn't know a whole lot about him, and yet there she was, completely ready to spend the rest of her life with him. She knew he had red hair, that he was a lawyer for Sano and Katsu, and that his amethyst eyes would melt away to burning hot amber in an instant. But that was it.

"Why are your hands so rough?" Kaoru whispered, pressing her face into his palm. She felt Kenshin try and pull away, but she put her own hand over his to keep him there.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize they were so rough." Kenshin apologized. Kaoru had such soft skin; his callused hands must have felt like sandpaper to her.

"Don't apologize, I like them. But what have you done to make them so rough? Don't lawyers usually get manicures and have soft hands?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin laughed gently and pressed his hand against her face.

"This will sound corny, but I practice swords. I have for most of my life. I often find myself in competitions too" Kenshin replied sheepishly. Kaoru's eyes snapped open.

"Swords!" Kaoru asked sharply. Kenshin blinked at her sudden change.

"Yes... swords."

"Are you good?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin grew confused. But he was confident in his swordsmanship, so he answered truthfully.

"Yes."

"How good? Like have you won any tournaments?"

"Yes." Kenshin replied, again.

With that Kaoru pulled away from her husband and marched over to her little brother. Yahiko was too engrossed in the banter between Sano and Katsu to notice his angry sister approaching until she had him firmly by the hair and yanked... hard.

"YOUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Yahiko cried, attempting to pull himself away from his sister. The whole room fell silent at Yahiko's cry. Sano and Katsu froze in their argument, and Kenshin stared at his temperamental wife with wide eyes.

"Oro."

"YOU BRAT! You know Kenshin don't you!" Kaoru yelled.

"OW! You ugly hag! Let go!" Yahiko yelled again. Instead of complying, Kaoru's fingers tightened even more and yanked again.

"DON'T YOU?" Kaoru yelled.

Kenshin stood in dumbfounded silence.

"I've never met him before in my life!" Yahiko cried, finally able to extract himself from his sister's iron grasp.

"Liar! You are obsessed with swords and swordsmanship! You would know of Kenshin! You know the names of every person who has won every type of tournament since they started!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"So what if I knew Kenshin, that doesn't mean anything!" Yahiko yelled.

"Now, now. It's fine if he knew about me. There are a lot of people still involved in swordsmanship." Kenshin replied, attempting to extract Yahiko from his enraged sister's piercing eyes. "It would be suspicious if he knew someone like..." Kenshin paused, looking for someone who wasn't even here. His eyes landed on Sano and Katsu and he thought of the first person who popped into his head. "Megumi!"

"Megumi? Megumi Takani?" Kaoru replied.

"You know her?" Kenshin replied incredulously.

"She's our cousin!" Kaoru replied.

'Oh shit.' Yahiko thought.

'Busted.' Sano thought, and broke into a cold sweat. He was a walking dead man.

* * *

A.N. Well, this is starting to get interesting. :D I'm enjoying the addition of Yahiko immensely. I loved his character in the manga/anime so I'm quite happy to have him in this story. So I hope you like it. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can!

Sakura-san


	14. A Forgotten Nightch14

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine, I merely borrow the characters for my story.

A.N. This is a mix of emotions. Not just comedy in this chapter! Thanks for taking time to read and comment on this story, I really appreciate it! I also apologise for taking so long, but real life gets in the way, and I am a terrible procrastinator. I admit it. I will continue to write though!

Anyways! On with the story!

R&R!

Enjoy!

----------------------

A Forgotten Night – Chapter 14

"What do you mean 'cousin'?" Kenshin asked slowly, sliding his eyes slowly back towards Sano.

"Cousin! Our mothers are sisters! Cousin! She's a doctor, and she's getting married next week to some... rooster... head." Kaoru replied, slowing her words when she realized what she had said. She had been merely repeating her cousin's exact words after all. Could Sano be the rooster head!

"She told you I was a rooster head!" Sano exclaimed.

Yup. He could be.

"YOU'RE MARRYING MEGUMI?" Kaoru exclaimed.

"I AM NOT A ROOSTER HEAD!" Sano exclaimed.

"KAORU! YOUR SHEET IS SLIPPING!" Yahiko exclaimed, turning his head before he saw his sister naked. Yuck.

With the 'gentle' reminder that she was in nothing but a sheet, Kaoru flushed bright red.

"HEY!" Kenshin shouted angrily. Everyone shut up. Sano froze in place, Yahiko suddenly formed a large lump of fear when he heard Kenshin yell, and Kaoru clutched the sheet closer, staring at Kenshin wide-eyed. "That's better. Sano, you and Yahiko go to the other room and sit down. We're going to have a little chat. Kaoru, go get dressed... again... and come join us."

Kaoru grabbed her overnight bag and started for the bathroom. Sano and Yahiko immediately left the room, no hesitation. Kenshin waited for the door to click shut and crossed the room in two strides, meeting Kaoru in the door to the bathroom. He roughly grabbed her to him, causing her to drop her bag.

Kenshin seized Kaoru's lips hungrily, passionately. His hands ran up her arms over her shoulders and down her back. Kaoru responded immediately, wrapping her arms around Kenshin's neck and burying her fingers in his thick hair.

Her skin was smooth beneath his fingertips, her scent was intoxicating. Kenshin broke the kiss off before he was completely consumed by her.

Kaoru opened her eyes slightly, staring into deep amethyst eyes.

"We are going to finish what we have started once we deal with those two out there." Kenshin said. Kaoru nodded, unlocking her arms from around his neck, and lightly brushing her fingertips against his lips. He playfully nipped at them, and she smiled, dropped her hands to her sides. Kenshin's arms remained firmly pressed against her back, holding her to him.

"Are you going to let me go?" Kaoru asked.

"Normally I would, but in this instance if I let you go, then the sheet will be on the floor and nothing would stop me from making love to you then." Kenshin replied. His lips curved slightly and he looked down between their bodies. The sheet had fallen away from Kaoru's back, and the only reason it was still covering her front was because it was wedged between their bodies. Kaoru blushed deeply and quickly grabbed the sheet to her, covering herself as best as possible.

Kenshin released her, and took a small step back, to distant himself from her... somewhat. He smiled slightly at her blushing face, leaned over and gently brushed his lips against her cheek. He leaned away from her, smiled, and left her in the doorway. She watched him cross the room, grab his shirt, pull it on over his head, and disappear through the door leading to the sitting room.

The door clicked closed, and Kaoru stared at it for a moment. She touched the spot on her cheek where Kenshin had kissed her and felt warmth spread throughout her body. Not the warmth associated with passion, but the warmth associated with love.

She was absolutely head over heels in love with that man. And it terrified her.

With a sigh, Kaoru dropped the sheet and quickly got dressed. She also wanted to know what was going on. Something was up. Sano being Megumi's fiancée was a little too coincidental for her liking.

With the thought of Megumi, Kaoru recalled the one of the last times she had seen her cousin.

* * *

"Oh come on Kaoru! He's hot! Go for it!" Megumi giggled, sending a sly look over at the man sitting across the crowded bar, eyeing the four women.

Kaoru sat with her two best friends, Misao and Tae, and her cousin Megumi. They were in the middle of getting nicely drunk during Megumi's stagette party. The wedding wasn't for another couple of weeks, but Megumi couldn't get any more time off from the hospital. She had already taken three weeks for her honeymoon, so she was pushing her luck no further.

Instead they had held the stagette a couple of weeks beforehand. Tae and Megumi were the only two women who were in serious relationships at the table, so they were taking it upon themselves to find men for the two singles sitting with them. Misao and Kaoru were not only horrified at their companions, but they were absolutely embarrassed at their antics.

"Megumi, he is very nice looking, but –" Kaoru started. The slamming of a shot glass had her sentence cut short.

"Nice looking? Honey, that man is more than nice looking. He's GORGEOUS!" Tae declared loudly.

"Will you keep it down?" Misao whispered furiously, her face turning red. "He'll hear you!"

"I hope he does, YOHOO! SEXY! OVER HERE!" Tae yelled, rising slightly out of her chair and waving to the man. Misao grabbed Tae's arm and hauled her back down into her seat. Kaoru grabbed the bottle of tequila and slide it out of Tae's reach.

"Good God Tae! You're an embarrassment!" Misao said.

"I wouldn't be an embarrassment to you two if you got laid once in a while!" Tae snorted.

"Tae!" Kaoru exclaimed, her embarrassment increasing tenfold. Lord why had she agreed to go on this stagette? Oh yeah, because Megumi was her cousin and her friend. Plus that and she was a member of the bridal party.

"Ugh, you girls are a drag." Tae declared, reaching across the table and snatching the bottle of liquor again. Kaoru scrambled to grab it, but missed and watched Tae take a mouthful straight from the bottle. "When was the last time either of you had a man in your bed?"

"Excuse me!" Misao exclaimed.

"I refuse to answer that question." Kaoru retorted.

"That long, huh? Well all the more reason for one of those men to come over here." Megumi replied smoothly, sipping her martini.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and rose from the table. Tae and Megumi both grabbed an arm each.

"Where are you going?" they both asked at the same time.

"To the bathroom." Kaoru shook free of their grasp. "Excuse me."

Misao was hot on Kaoru's heels when they entered the bathroom. Their eyes met in the mirror and without a word Misao went into one of the stalls

"Remind me why we came?" Misao asked.

"Because she's my cousin and our best friend." Kaoru replied. She braced her hands on the counter and looked up into her reflection.

Her long black hair was left down, and slightly curled at the bottom. It had been Megumi's idea which Kaoru had gone along with at the time. She wasn't a huge fan of getting all dressed up with makeup and high heels, but there she was. With light makeup on, only accenting her classic features even more, a knee length black skirt, pale blue halter top, and black strap-y heels making her a couple of inches taller. Everything she wore had been borrowed from Tae and Megumi. Kaoru didn't even own heels.

Misao finished in the bathroom stall and came out; Kaoru caught her friends appearance in the mirror. Misao was also dressed up more than usual. Her standard braid was gone, and her standard shirt and shorts were also gone. Misao wore a skirt as well, and heels, and a tank-top, AND makeup. She didn't look too pleased, but she had gone along with the idea because it was for Megumi, and as much as the taller, more beautiful doctor drove the two crazy most of the time, they still loved her for her loyalty and devotion to her friends, family, and even patients.

"I feel like an idiot." Misao grumbled, washing her hands.

"You and me both." Kaoru sighed. She made a feeble attempt to tame her hair, but it merely bounced back to the 'just out of bed' look Megumi had given it.

"Why did we come?" Kaoru signed, bowing her head and staring at the countertop.

"Because she's your cousin, and our best friend." Misao replied, verbatim, what Kaoru had said moments before.

"Oh yeah."

"C'mon, let's go." Misao said, grabbing Kaoru's wrist and dragging her from the bathroom.

They arrived back to the table where Tae and Megumi still sat; fresh drinks had been placed at all seating places. The two sitting women were grinning ear to ear at the two women who had just returned.

"Why are you two so happy?" Misao asked, looking down at her new drink. Champagne. Kaoru slid into her chair and eyed all the drinks. All champagne.

"What's going on?" Kaoru asked.

"Tae's trip this weekend fell through." Megumi said. Kaoru had known that Tae was supposed to take a weekend trip with her cousin to Las Vegas. It was all the woman could talk about for the longest time.

"I'm sorry Tae! That's terrible! You were looking forward to that trip so much!" Misao exclaimed.

"Why are you in such a good mood then?" Kaoru asked uneasily, eyeing the glass full of bubbly.

"Well, we can't waste the trip! The hotel is booked and everything." Tae said.

Kaoru looked from Tae, to Megumi, and back again. Both women were grinning widely looking at Misao and Kaoru. Misao was equally as confused as Kaoru. Why were they in such a good mood? And how could they not waste the trip.

"Wait a –" Misao started.

"You're not suggesting that WE go on your trip, are you?" Kaoru exclaimed.

"All expenses paid." Tae said melodiously.

"We can't possibly go." Misao replied.

"Nonsense! We won't take no for an answer." Megumi said, lifting her glass in a toast. Tae immediately followed suit and they both stared at Misao and Kaoru, waiting for them to do the same.

Kaoru looked over at Misao and they two women locked eyes.

"Las Vegas" Kaoru said.

"All expenses paid" Misao replied.

For the first time in her life, Kaoru didn't think anything to death. She had always wanted to experience the bright lights of Las Vegas herself. Now this opportunity was thrust upon her, and she couldn't refuse!

"Cheers." Misao said, reading Kaoru's mind. The four women clinked glasses and sipped their champagne.

* * *

Kaoru stood inside the luxurious bathroom of Kenshin's suite, partially dressed. She had pulled her jeans and her bra on (a different one from the one Kenshin had discovered on his mini-bar just hours beforehand). She had her shirt fisted in her hand and she stared at her wide-eyed reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She had been set up from the very start.

Megumi and Tae had sent her here; knowing full well that Sano and the others would have been here too. It was all part of her successful cousin Megumi's ultimate plan to get her poor unfortunate, plain cousin Kaoru into a relationship.

The first question that popped into Kaoru's mind was 'Why?' Why had Megumi done such a thing? Then the next question flew into her head, and made her stomach knot. Was Kenshin in on this plan?

The mere thought that Kenshin was in on a plan to deceive her caused great fat tears to well up in her eyes. It was that exact moment there was a soft knock at the door.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice called. "Are you okay? You've been in there for a while."

Kenshin watched the door fly open, revealing Kaoru. He noticed only one thing; she was crying.

"What's wro-" Kenshin's worried question was cut off by a slap to his face. He felt only shock. He looked at Kaoru with wide wondering eyes.

"You were in on this from the start!" Kaoru cried, brushing past him into the room. She had her bag in her hands, and she was zipping it up, as she started for the door. Completely bewildered, Kenshin had no idea what she was talking about. All he knew was that the women he was sure he was meant to spend the rest of his life with was angry and walking out.

"Wait! What the hell are you talking about?" Kenshin exclaimed, striding across the room and grabbing hold of Kaoru's wrist. He was not about to let her walk away from him.

"You! And Sano! You planned all this, just to fool me!" Kaoru shouted, trying to wrench her wrist free from Kenshin's grasp.

The yelling had drawn the attention of the boys in the sitting room. Sano and Yahiko poked their heads through the open door to the bedroom only to see a crying Kaoru and a very confused Kenshin.

"Uh oh." Sano mumbled.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Yahiko replied.

"Planned? I planned nothing! What are you talking about?" Kenshin asked.

"This whole thing! The Vegas weekend, the cancelled plans, maybe even the marriage! I am such an idiot, now let me GO!" Kaoru cried, tears blurring her vision as she tried harder to free herself. Kenshin's grip loosened and he let her go. Kaoru took two steps away from him and swiped at her eyes with her hand angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I planned nothing. I'm here this weekend because Sano wanted to come here for his bachelor's party." Kenshin replied truthfully. Kaoru shook her head. She tried to ignore the pleading look in Kenshin's eyes, and she tried to ignore the honesty in his voice. All it did was make her cry harder. Kaoru dropped her bag and buried her face in her hands, trying to compose herself enough to exit the room with dignity.

Kenshin took a tentative step closer to Kaoru. Seeing those tears coming from her caused him nothing but agony. He wanted to do anything and everything in his power to stop those tears. He gently reached out and pried her hands away from her face. Cupping her cheeks gently, he brushed away her tears.

"Please stop crying. Please. It kills me to see you like this." Kenshin whispered, brushing his lips over her damp cheeks, kissing away the tears, then resting his forehead against hers.

Sano took a step away from the door, and pulled Yahiko away. He quietly shut the door and turned to leave.

"Wait! Don't you want to stop them like usual?" Yahiko asked. Sano shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced over his shoulder at the kid behind him.

"Nope, not this time. This time it's much more serious. C'mon, let's leave them alone." Sano said, and started for the door again. Yahiko looked at the closed bedroom door one last time, then followed Sano out of the suite.

The soft brush of his lips, the gentle caress of his hands, and the warmth of his body so close to hers, all caused Kaoru to relax. However, the tears just wouldn't stop. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Kaoru just didn't have the energy to stop herself from crying.

"Please Kaoru, tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying. Please, explain to me what you meant by cancelled trip?" Kenshin asked.

Kaoru didn't have the energy to resist. Before she knew it, she had opened her mouth and spilled the beans on how Tae couldn't come on this trip, and sent Kaoru and Misao instead. She told him her theory that it was all a set up just so she and Misao would get laid, or start a relationship, or just plain loosen up. Kaoru also told him how she thought he had been in on the set up.

"Kaoru, I swear to you that I had no knowledge that you were going to be here. This was a last minute trip for us to! Sano proclaimed he wanted to come here just last weekend! It was all thrown together. He also demanded we stay at this hotel! God knows why since he hates Saito, but here we..." Kenshin trailed off, lost in thought. "When was this trip given to you?"

"Last weekend. Saturday night." Kaoru replied, sniffing slightly, and trying to stop her tears again.

"Saturday night. That was when Sano came up with this crazy idea." Kenshin stated.

"What?"

"Kaoru, I didn't set you up, nor was I aware of this plan before. I would never do anything to hurt you, Kaoru, I love you." Kenshin said and then froze.

Uh oh.

Maybe she didn't hear him. She was still distracted from crying after all. Kaoru suddenly became very still.

Don't panic.

He did love her, but he didn't mean to tell her that until they had spent at least 24 straight, sober hours together.

Don't panic.

Kaoru raised her eyes to his. They were wide, and she was no longer crying. Her mouth was slightly open from the shock of hearing what she just heard.

"You love me?"

Eep.

----------------------------

A.N. Well, one of them had to say it, I figure why not the red-head? Men don't say it enough! Just kidding! Anyways, it's certainly a mix of emotions for the folks in this chapter. I'm sure you've all caught onto the scam by now. It'll be fully explained in future chapters, but the general idea is out there. I hope no one is too confused, I wrote the last portion of this chapter very late one night. I edited it before I put it on the site (when I was a little more awake). So I hope it's okay. Until next time:D

Sakura-san


	15. A Forgotten Nightch15

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine, I merely borrow the characters for my story.

A.N. Greetings! It is I, Sakura-san! I have returned from the depths of the internet with a new chapter! No, I did not forget about the story. No, I did not drop off the face of the Earth. Yes I will finish this fanfic, even if it's the last thing I do damnit!

Yes so I moved halfway across the country and now I'm in a new spot and a new job so it's been a bit stressful in my life lately. To say the very least. But that's okay. The new town I'm in is so exciting! They've got designer stores like... Wal-Mart...

Yeah, less than sophicated. But home nonetheless. So to make my transition up here easier on myself I wrote my fanfics. And wrote and wrote and wrote. This one is proving to be difficult to write but my other one is almost complete. But fear not! I strive on.

Anyways! Enough rambling.

R&R!

Enjoy!

-----------

A Forgotten Night Chapter 15

The deer in headlights look was exceedingly cute on Kaoru. However that didn't ease the panic that was in Kenshin's chest. Why had he said that!

"Okay, now don't panic." Kenshin said calmly. Kaoru was slowly backing away from him as if he were a wild animal or something.

"Panic? Who's panicking? I'm not panicking?" Kaoru replied, a little faster and a little squeakier than normal.

'OmigodOmigodOmigod! He just said he loved me! What do I do?' Kaoru's brain screamed.

Kenshin remained rooted in his spot watching as Kaoru moved away from him.

"Okay, deep breaths" Kenshin said.

"I'm breathing. Why wouldn't I be breathing? Breathing is needed to live right? And if you want to continue to love me then I better continue breathing, right? You did just say that you loved me, didn't you? Of course you did, I wasn't hearing things. Look, that's nice but I think I need some air so if you'll excuse me." Kaoru babbled, all in one breath, and all very fast. Kenshin still hadn't fully comprehended it when he heard the door click shut.

Problem was that Kaoru had just shut herself into the bathroom.

Kenshin waited for a moment and then the door opened up again.

"That's not the exit, that's the bathroom, silly me. Silly Kaoru locking herself into the bathroom thinking it was the exit. Of course anyone would make that sort of mistake. All the doors look alike to me. We are in a suite after all, so all the doors are really fancy. In Misao's room, well my room to, where it's not so fancy, the bathroom door looks totally different then the exit door. Of course we don't have private bedroom and private sitting room and totally different exit either. We just have a plain room with beds and a shower and a TV. Well, you have a TV too, it's right over there and a mini-bar! We have a mini-bar too! Isn't that something, you just have extra walls, and extra fancy doors and that makes all the difference in the price of the rooms. Oh here's the exit. I'll see you later."

The entire speech took Kaoru the same amount of time that it took her to walk across the room and walk out the correct door. Which was approximately 15 seconds, maybe less, Kenshin wasn't sure. All he knew was that whatever she had said was a lot of information to process and his head was still reeling from when he had shoved his foot into his mouth.

Heaving a large sigh, Kenshin ran a hand over his face, only to have his nose connect with something hard. Pulling his hand away he looked down at his finger which still bore the wedding band Kaoru had put on his finger not an hour before hand.

Did he regret uttering those three words? In a way, yes, just because of the stress he had caused Kaoru. But they were the truth. He did love her very much. The warm feeling that spread through his entire being when he thought that Kaoru wore a ring that matched his own was proof enough of that.

Besides, wasn't a husband supposed to love his wife?

Yes, and he fully intended to, for the rest of his life.

Kaoru made it to the hallway without locking herself into another bathroom. Shutting the door behind her she took huge gulping breaths, trying to calm her racing heard and trying to clear her clouded head.

'He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.' Kaoru chanted in her mind over and over.

"I need Misao." Kaoru said out loud. Problem though, where was her best friend?

The sound of a closing door caused Kaoru to look down the hall. Just two doors down she saw Katsu exiting his room.

"YOU!" Kaoru yelled pointing down the hall and causing Katsu to jump. He whirled around to meet flashing blue eyes and black hair storming down the hall at him.

"Me?" Katsu asked timidly.

"I need Misao. Where's the tall guy?" Kaoru demanded. Not one to mess with a woman, Katsu replied immediately.

"Last I saw them they were starting to make nasty heading into their room." Katsu replied.

"Where's the room." It was more of an order, than a question.

"Downstairs? Where you used to be staying?" Katsu said hesitantly. It was only a couple of hours when they had been standing in the room that Aoshi and Misao were staying in. She forgot already?

Knowing full well that Katsu was a primary shit-disturber in the mess they were in, Kaoru held out her hand and gave one simple order.

"Key."

Katsu produced the key to Aoshi and Misao's room in an instant. Kaoru snatched the key out of his grasp and strode down the toward the elevator. The doors opened and Kaoru walked in, glared at the many floor numbers then stuck her head out again.

"Floor!" Kaoru ordered. Katsu stared at her in disbelief.

"What happened to you?"

"Floor!" Kaoru ordered again. Katsu jumped at her tone.

"14!" he replied.

Kaoru hit the button for the 14th floor and the doors slid shut. She was still reeling when the doors slid open and she stepped out of the elevator. There was a very long hallway stretching in both directions that had nothing but doors.

'He said he loved me.' Kaoru thought, still utterly shocked at the words that had come from Kenshin's mouth. Love was a very strong word. One that she knew Kenshin never said without first knowing if the feelings were there.

Unconsciously, Kaoru walked down the hallway and found herself standing in front of the door to her old hotel room. The 'Do Not Disturb' sign was on the knob again. Knowing full well what was going on in the room, Kaoru opted to stand outside the door and simply wail.

"MISAO! I need you!" Kaoru yelled. Her voice came out a little more stressed than usual, and the tone had the door flung open within seconds. Misao stood in the frame of the open door, wearing a man's dress shirt. Its sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, and the tails were around her knees. Aoshi was a very big man when compared to little Misao.

Speaking of Aoshi, just past Misao, Kaoru could just barely see Aoshi sprawled spread eagle on the bed. He was covered by a single bed sheet and he looked dead.

"Kaoru! What's wrong?" Misao asked, rushing out of the room. Kaoru had momentarily forgotten why she was outside the room with her best friend, seeing the dead looking Aoshi had caused her some concern.

"Uh... Is he okay?" Kaoru asked, pointing over Misao's shoulder at Aoshi. The smaller woman looked back into the room. Her husband did indeed look dead. Misao grinned widely.

"He's... satisfied." Misao replied. And he certainly looked like it to Kaoru. "But he doesn't matter. What's wrong?"

"Misao this whole thing was a setup, all done by Megumi and Tae to get us married off or get us into some guys bed and we fell for it all and Sano keeps coming along interrupting us and everything seems to be falling apart and Kenshin said he loved me and I'm so confused and why would Megumi set us up like this oh and she's marrying Sano did you know that and I wish I knew why we were set up and I want you to help me!" Kaoru wailed, sinking to the floor.

"Wow. That was a lot of information." Misao said, dumbfounded and still trying to sort through what her friend had just said. She crouched down next to her friend and put a reassuring hand on Kaoru's shoulder.

"I don't know what you mean when you say this was a setup, but I don't think they'd do that. And so what if she's marrying Sano, it's just a coincidence really. And... WHAT? Kenshin said he loves you?" Misao cried, instantly interested.

"Kenshin said he loves you?"

"Kenshin said he loves you!"

"Kenshin said he loves you?"

Three separate voices, three separate men. Aoshi had shot up straight in bed, Katsu and Sano had just sauntered down the hall. Katsu had informed his friend that Kaoru had been a little rattled so they were investigating what had happened.

Kaoru and Misao found themselves surrounded by three men who were oddly enough, very interested in knowing exactly what they had to say. Go figure. Not one, not two, but THREE men were hanging off every word they said.

"Uh..." Misao started.

"Kenshin said he loves you?" Sano repeated.

Kaoru looked at the four pairs of eyes that bored into her. She felt stressed, confused, and elated all at once, and she wasn't entirely sure which emotion she should act on. She sent Misao a helpless look and her friend interpreted it immediately.

"OUT! Everyone out, right now!" Misao barked, grabbing Kaoru's arm and pulling her inside the room.

"But-" Aoshi started. Misao ignored him and grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door. Sano and Katsu still stood at the door so using Aoshi as a battering ram she shoved her husband, and his two friends out the door. "But-" Aoshi repeated before the door slammed right in his face.

The three men stood in silence, staring at the closed door.

Aoshi looked over his shoulder at Sano and pointed at the door.

"My clothes are in there." Aoshi said to Sano. Sano nodded in understanding. Aoshi was standing in the hall wearing only white bed sheet wrapped around his waist. His feet were bare, his chest was bare, and there were a couple of women in their mid 60s just down the hall staring at him with smiles on their faces.

One winked.

"Let's get you some clothes." Sano said, steering his friend towards the elevator. The woman who winked gave Aoshi a little wave. "Before the ladies form a mob." Sano punched the button and in seconds the doors opened to reveal another woman who stared in wide-eyed shock at the sheet-wearing man.

"Well, well, Mr. Shinomori. If I wasn't getting married I'd try to seduce you." One woman said.

"What the..." Aoshi said, shocked.

There on the elevator, stood Megumi Takani. Sanosuke Sagara's fiancée.

----------------------------------

"Let's recap. Kenshin said he loves you?" Misao asked as she made her way to the bed where Kaoru had sat herself. Kaoru nodded slightly looking very upset by the fact. "And... that's bad because..." she continued and motioned with her hands for Kaoru to move on.

"It's bad because it was a set up! It's bad because we've known each other for 4 hours! It's bad because... because..." Kaoru faltered. Misao sat next to her friend.

"Because... you love him too?" Misao asked tentatively.

Kaoru burst into tears. Misao nodded. She was right. Kaoru did love him.

"Okay. That's enough." Misao said. Kaoru immediately stopped crying. The tone in her friend's voice was enough to make anyone stop crying.

No one messed with Misao when she spoke like that.

"So. Let me get this straight." Misao started. "He loves you." Kaoru nodded. "You love him." Kaoru nodded. "You're married." Kaoru nodded. "You haven't had sex."

"Misao!" Kaoru exclaimed indignantly.

"What? It's true isn't it!" Misao cried.

"Well... yeah, but..."

"'Yeah'! What do you mean 'yeah'? That man is one fine specimen and you haven't jumped his bones yet!" Misao exclaimed.

"Misao!"

"What!"

"You sound like Tae." Kaoru replied. Misao opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself and thought for a moment.

"Oh... you're right." Misao said with an amazing tone. Kaoru arched an eyebrow at Misao.

On the other side of the door, Katsu knelt on the floor with his ear firmly pressed to the door in a vain attempt to hear some fragements of the conversation. He was getting some very odd looks from the two women who had been admiring Aoshi minutes before.

"I'm trying to listen in on the two women in here." He whispered to them in response to their questioning looks. "It's really hard because they're in bed together."

The looks rapidly changed to shock and the two women hurried away.

Katsu was watching the women retreating with a grin on his face when the door flew open and he found himself flat on his stomach, half in the room and half in the hallway. Next thing he knew, Misao had a firm grip on his ear and was hauling him to his feet.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Katsu exclaimed getting to his feet and walking in the direction Misao was pulling. She backed him into the corner and forced him into the chair next to the window. Kaoru sat on the bed in wide-eyed shock and Katsu knew his expression was a mirror image.

Kaoru had been questioning why they had been set up when Misao had suddenly stood up, marched over to the door and flung it open. The last thing Kaoru expected was to see someone fall into the room.

"The answers to all our questions rest in this man's head." Misao said as she stood over Katsu and crossed her arms. Katsu may have been sitting but he was still almost as tall as Misao was when she was standing next to him. "And you're going to tell us, aren't you Katsu?"

Misao may be short, but she scared Katsu.

She sort of reminded him of Tae.

That thought had him nodding his head vigorously.

-----------------------------

Aoshi was dumbfounded as he entered the elevator to join Sano and Megumi. When the doors had opened and Megumi made her comment, Sano made some sort of retort before entering the elevator and giving his fiancé a kiss. None of it was really registering with Aoshi since he was wearing a sheet and still a little shocked to see Megumi.

"Megumi, what are you doing here?" Aoshi asked.

"Admiring your pectorals, Shinomori." Megumi replied, smiling approvingly.

"Hey now, you're spoken for lady." Sano replied. Megumi silenced her future husband with a small kiss on the cheek. The doors of the elevator opened once more and Yahiko stood on the other side staring in at the half dressed Aoshi. All eyes fell on Yahiko who stared openly at Aoshi. There was silence for several seconds until Yahiko finally opened his mouth.

"Adults are weird."

"It's drafty in here. Lend me some clothes, Sagara." Aoshi said walking out of the elevator.

"Yes master." Sano replied sarcastically.

"Oro. Aoshi, what happened?" Kenshin asked as he was coming down the hallway. Sano's eyes widened at the sight of the red-head. He could NOT find out about Megumi. Seeing her would blow their cover wide open and Kenshin could figure out what happened the previous night. Luckily, Megumi heard his voice and stayed in the elevator, blocked from Kenshin's sight.

"Misao kicked me out without any clothes." Aoshi replied.

"Why would she do that?" Kenshin asked.

"Because your wife showed up all upset at our door."

The statement caused Kenshin to stop dead in his tracks.

"Kaoru's there? Give me the key I need to see her!" Kenshin exclaimed. Aoshi merely raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, let me just get that out of my pocket." Was Aoshi's sarcastic reply.

"Nevermind. Out of my way." Kenshin said and made a move for the elevator. Sano panicked at the movement and said the first thing that came to mind.

"You told Kaoru you loved her?" Sano asked. The moment it was out of his mouth he regretted it for one simple reason...

"You love Kaoru!" Megumi exclaimed, flying out of the elevator and coming to a dead stop in front of Kenshin. The second she was out, she realized her mistake.

Kenshin stared up at the taller woman before him in wide-eyed shock.

Megumi was a beautiful woman. Her long black hair was whip straight and hung halfway down her back. She wore a fitted black sweater and skirt set that accented her curves perfectly. Ever since she arrived in Vegas, men had been tripping over themselves to serve her or just get her to look their way. Her appearance was elegant, regal, and very ladylike.

"Megumi." Kenshin said, shocked at seeing her. Blinking, a new memory emerged from the grey cloud that was the previous night in Kenshin's mind. A memory of a tall black-haired woman pointing to a beautiful sapphire and diamond engagement ring. "The ring." He said softly.

"Aw crap." Megumi cursed in a very unladylike fashion.

* * *

A.N. So yeah, who here wants the recollection of the previous night as witnessed by others who were not totally plastered like K&K? That's what is in store for chapter 16! I shall post it asap.

Sakura


	16. A Forgotten Nightch16

Disclaimer: RK and all the characters don't belong to me. I merely borrowed them for my story.

A.N. Greetings! Welcome to Chapter 16! I hope the wait wasn't too long. I'm going to get a start on chapter 17 right away. I think the story is coming to a close in my head. Oh the screen, not yet, but I'm working on it. :)

R&R!

Enjoy!

--------------------------

A Forgotten Night – Chapter 16

The whole idea of Las Vegas had been Tae's from the get go. It had formed when the four women had been out for Megumi's stagette party. It all stemmed from the fact that Sano and Megumi had been trying to get Kenshin and Kaoru together since they had started dating! It was a common conversation between Tae and Megumi. Each and every time it was brought up, Megumi would start on a rant about the stubbornness of her cousin and the damn red-head.

Stubbornness that stemmed from the fact that neither Kenshin nor Kaoru wanted to be set up on a blind date and flat out refused to!

Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn!

It was no exception during the stagette. Kaoru and Misao had fled the table to escape from the embarrassing antics of Megumi and Tae and at that moment Tae had asked the one million dollar question: What was the status of Kenshin and Kaoru? True to form Megumi had launched into another rant about it when Tae had her brainstorm.

While Misao and Kaoru were in the bathroom the plan was put in motion, Megumi made a phone call to Sano and got the ball rolling. They were so sure of their success that they had ordered 4 glasses of champagne to help the cause. It took very little convincing on their part and soon they were toasting the new adventure Kaoru and Misao were embarking on.

To ensure nothing went totally wrong, Megumi flew into Las Vegas on a later flight than her fiancé and his friends. That had been the arrangement from the get go. She had settled herself into a dark corner of the hotel bar to watch the evening antics unfold.

Her eyes were transfixed on Kenshin and Kaoru. She counted the amount of times an empty glass was set on the table by both people. It was a nail biting start to the evening for Megumi. When the number of drinks kept climbing and nothing was happening she was getting worried that she was wrong about them being perfect for each other.

When Kenshin asked Kaoru to dance, Megumi started to breathe again. Taking a sip of her drink was almost fatal when she spied Aoshi hauling Misao onto his lap and locking lips with her.

Shock was not an emotion that Megumi experienced all that often.

The idea of Aoshi and Misao had never even entered into their minds. Aoshi was too much of recluse for anyone to attempt to set him up. The fact that they had gotten together had been an odd fluke which no one was about to argue with. Aoshi was in need of a breath of fresh air, and Misao was just that. She was perfect for him. A match made in heaven right under their noses the whole time.

Megumi planned to congratulate them on their intelligence once the dust settled.

Kenshin and Kaoru, on the other hand, were causing immense frustration for everyone in on the plan.

Megumi sat in her dark corner watching the couple on the dance floor. Kenshin and Kaoru certainly made the perfect match. They had been drinking all evening but both adults were still not quite drunk enough to start pawing at each other. They were close but there was a barrier set up between them that was preventing the full on kisses they should have been sharing.

Instead, the couple swayed slowly to a romantic love song. They were close, but not close enough. There were gentle caresses, but only on the arm or back. There was heat, but only through their eyes as they looked at each other.

Megumi sighed to herself.

"Something wrong, my dear?" Sano asked coming up behind his wife.

"They're not doing anything!" Megumi said.

"They're dancing, that's a big step for Kenshin." Sano replied, bending over and kissing his fiancé on the cheek.

"Big step or not, they should be kissing or something!"

"Ha! Kenshin would never kiss a woman the first night he meets with her. He's a prude." Sano retorted.

"Sanosuke! You have to get them to kiss!" Megumi ordered.

"What! What do you want me to do, smash their faces together?"

"I need them to kiss without anyone resorting to violence." Megumi rolled her eyes.

"Then how about more booze?"

"Booze is not doing it. They've had more than enough to lower their inhibitions!" Megumi said chewing on her thumb nail. Sano reached down and pulled her hand away from her mouth. He brought it up to his own and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

"Well then, I'll just have to work my magic." He said slyly.

The song ended and the couple on the dance floor broke apart. Kenshin went to the bar to get a few drinks for everyone and Kaoru went back to the table. Sano broke away from Megumi and snaked his way back to their table. Aoshi and Misao had left minutes before hand and Sano found Kaoru standing over the table staring at the empty seats that were once occupied by them.

"Where's Misao?" Kaoru asked.

"She left with Shinomori a little while ago." Sano replied. Kaoru looked down at him. Misao just up and leaving without telling Kaoru was something that never happened. Kaoru chewed on her lower lip nervously. That Aoshi guy was a little weird to her. He had just sat there saying nothing the whole time they were together. What Misao found so attractive about him was beyond Kaoru.

"Don't worry, Aoshi is nothing but a gentleman. She's fine. Besides I know that lady can take care of herself if she ever needed to." Katsu remarked, attempting to alleviate Kaoru's worried look. He had come up beside Kaoru and Sano. "Besides, they're perfect for each other. Misao is exactly what Aoshi needs in his life."

For some odd reason, Kaoru believed him and felt a little better. She found her seat and got comfortable.

"I never thought I'd see the day when a woman fit into Aoshi's life. I mean, I couldn't picture Shinomori with a woman, let alone a woman like Misao. Now don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful girl. But she just doesn't seem like the type to get the attention of Aoshi. Guess I don't know him as well as I thought I did." Katsu remarked.

"I know I didn't know him at all! I always thought Aoshi was a prude like Kaoru over there. I never thought he'd have the balls to kiss Misao like that!" Sano exclaimed laughing. Kaoru found herself sitting up straight, bristling at his comment.

"Excuse me?" she asked stiffly.

"Oh c'mon, Kaoru! You and I both know that you're a prude." Sano replied, smirking.

"I most certainly am not!"

"You are! Okay, case in point, you are obviously attracted to Kenshin." Kaoru blushed at the statement and Sano continued, "But you're too reserved and prudish to make a move on him!"

The statement was no sooner out of his mouth when Kenshin arrived at the table carrying two drinks in his hands, for himself and Kaoru.

"Prudish, am I? I'll show you prudish." Kaoru glowered as she shot to her feet.

And with that, Kaoru grabbed the lapels of Kenshin's blue shirt and hauled him to her.

Megumi almost spit out the mouthful of water she had just taken when she watched her normally reserved and shy cousin pull Kenshin to her and kiss him hard.

Megumi pushed her glass aside. Water had it in for her.

She didn't know what Sano had done, but she knew that her fiancé was a miracle worker.

The second her lips touched his own, Kenshin's entire world evaporated. Completely forgetting he even held drinks, he dropped them to the floor and freed his hands to bury them in her hair. She had initiated the kiss, but the burning desire he had felt for her ever since they met in the elevator caused him to take control of the kiss. He angled her head and felt her mouth open, entreating entrance for his tongue.

Kaoru's fingers loosened their grip on his lapels and splayed across his chest as she relinquished control over to him.

All anger was forgotten by Kaoru. Everything that Sano had said disappeared from her mind when her lips touched his. She had meant the kiss to be quick, hard, and passionate. But she forgot the reason for the kiss in the first place. She didn't care either. The man whose hands were buried in her hair and whose tongue was working wonders in her mouth was someone who could make a woman forget her own name!

Kenshin finally ended the kiss by pulling away from her slightly. He was pretty drunk, but he knew that he had just experienced the greatest kiss he would ever have in his whole life. Kaoru's eyes were still closed, his fingers still laced in her hair, and her lips were slightly parted.

Kaoru's eyes fluttered open slowly and found herself looking up into hot amber eyes. The gasp of surprise died in her throat as Kenshin pulled his hands from her hair and ran his thumb over her lower lip. Leaning forward, Kenshin brushed his lips against her cheek ever so slightly.

"Beautiful." He whispered softly, his breath sent a thrill through her spine as it brushed gently past her ear. "Dance with me."

She wasn't given a chance to respond, Kenshin's hand found its way to the small of her back and was steering her back towards the dance floor.

There was a stunned silence between the two men who were left at the table. They had witnessed the entire thing and Sano felt quite pleased with himself for succeeding. He glanced over to the dark corner that Megumi occupied and winked, knowing full well that she was looking at him.

The night only got better.

Sano and Megumi had to move fast to keep up with the couple. They had managed to catch the pair as they wandered off the dance floor towards the bathrooms. Thinking the couple needed a washroom break, Sano was going to follow Kenshin and find out about the progress being made.

Of course, the fact that the couple had been pawing at each other smack in the middle of the dance floor and been a pretty huge indication that progress was being made by leaps and bounds. But hearing it from the horses mouth was always good to have.

Of course, Sano didn't meet up with Kenshin in the bathroom. Instead he had rounded the corner to enter the hallway which lead to the washrooms only to find himself witnessing something he never thought he would see.

Kenshin had Kaoru pressed to the wall, one of her legs was wrapped around his waist and the kiss they were sharing was nothing short of pure uninhibited passion.

Sano backed up and retreated before he was spotted. Instead he stood guard at the hallway to ensure the couple got their privacy.

Kenshin inhaled deeply, smelling the intoxicating scent of Kaoru as he pushed her into the wall and buried his face in her neck. She was like a lifeline to a dying man. Kenshin couldn't get enough of her. Even if he was drunk he was still thinking about a time when she wouldn't be in his life and he didn't like that thought at all.

"Are we crazy? Why are we acting like this?" Kaoru breathed as Kenshin nibbled suggestively on her neck. Her arms and legs were wrapped firmly around his whole body. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses and her mouth still carried his taste.

She wanted more.

She needed more.

"All I know is that I can't get enough of you." Kenshin replied, pulling his face away from her neck and capturing her lips with his own again. Each kiss they shared was powerful and exciting enough to cause Kaoru's toes to curl in her shoes. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her breathing was shallow.

She never knew she could be so turned on by a man.

"I need to make love to you, Kaoru." Kenshin whispered against her neck. His hands ran up her sides sending shots of electricity down to her feet. She was dizzy with passion and alcohol. Kenshin nibbled on her neck, then flicked his tongue against the same skin as he pushed himself even closer to Kaoru. The need Kenshin was feeling was unbearable. It was consuming his whole person as he felt Kaoru tremble against him.

"Oh. My. God." Kaoru whispered. She felt the very same need coursing through her being. The thought of being naked with the man before her caused her mouth to run dry. She entangled her fingers in his hair and leaned her head back, giving him more access to the sensitive spot in the hollow of her neck.

"I need to make love to you, Kaoru. And I want to marry you." Kenshin whispered. Kaoru felt no surprise, no apprehension, no worries about the bombshell Kenshin had just dropped. Instead she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him.

"Yes." Was her only response.

"Which one first?" Kenshin breathed, not caring either way. What mattered is that he had her. Her touch, her smell, her voice, her laugh. Her eyes.

All his.

"Marriage. Then we don't need to leave the hotel room for a week." Kaoru breathed.

"Month." Kenshin corrected huskily. That made Kaoru's toes curl all by itself.

Not wanting to waste another second, he released her from his prison and took her by the hand, leading her out of the bar and into the brightly lit foyer of the hotel lobby.

Sano and Megumi were close behind.

"Okay. Wedding. Old. New. Borrowed. Blue." Kaoru mumbled going through the traditional checklist for unknown reasons. Kenshin heard the checklist as she said it and stopped dead in his tracks next to a man sitting on a wingback chair in the middle of the lobby.

The man was speaking on a cell phone but stopped when the obviously drunk and thoroughly flushed couple came to a halt before him.

"Can I borrow that? We need old, new, borrowed and blue. That's old and borrowed." Kenshin asked. The man stared up at the couple in confusion. Kenshin reached down and took the phone right out of his hands and then walked away.

"Hey! That's my –" the man exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned to see a tall brown-haired man standing with a smile on his face.

"I apologise for my friend. He's a little drunk. I'll gladly replace your phone with something better. How much?" Sano asked, pulling out his chequebook. In the blink of an eye the man was standing alone in the hotel lobby once again with a check for $1000 in his hands.

The only coherent thought in his head was whether or not he had ended the conversation he had been having.

"Okay. Old and borrowed. We need new and blue." Kenshin said.

"Your shirt is blue." Kaoru offered.

"Excellent. Now new."

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Kaoru mumbled. The booze was catching up to her fast. Pulling her hand out of Kenshin's grasp she bolted for the nearest bathroom.

Kenshin found himself standing alone in the middle of the lobby.

"Need something new for your blushing bride?" a voice asked. Kenshin turned and saw something he wasn't sure was real.

"Megumi?" he slurred.

"Oh you are so cute when you're plastered. Come, lets get her something new." Megumi said, hooking her arm in his and dragging him away from the bathroom.

Megumi brought him to the jewelry store in the hotel. Inside there were millions of dollars worth of jewelry from earrings to bangles. Megumi brought Kenshin straight to the case that held rings of every shape, size and colour.

"What shall it be, Kenshin?" Megumi asked.

Kenshin wasn't able to focus on the rings. He was craning his neck to see if Kaoru had arrived back in the lobby. He was half afraid that she had gotten lost, or worse, walked out on him.

"Whatever."

"Kenshin! Will you look! This is Kaoru we're talking about. She deserves your undivided attention when you pick out her ring!" Megumi exclaimed. Kenshin's eyes snapped away from the lobby to the rings. Megumi was right. The first thing he laid eyes on was a sapphire ring. The blue reminded him of Kaoru's eyes.

"That one." He pointed. Megumi glanced down at the ring he pointed to and smiled.

"Perfect. You may go. I will get this taken care of and leave it in the capable hands of the hotel manager. He will see to it that you get it." Megumi purred. She playfully sidled up to Kenshin's side placing a hand on his chest. She tweaked his nose with her finger and kissed him on the cheek.

"You always were adorable, Kenshin." Megumi said. "I never knew there was an animal of lust buried deep inside."

Kenshin ignored Megumi. She always flirted with him. It bothered Sano which is why she did it. His eyes were focused on the lobby once again. He saw Kaoru arrive and look around very confused.

"Only for her." Kenshin said. Megumi followed his eyes and saw Kaoru. Turning back she watched the amethyst eyes transform into burning amber. Megumi's breath caught in her throat when she saw the look on Kenshin's face as he stared at Kaoru.

He was an unbelievably sexy man.

Kaoru was an extraordinarily lucky woman.

"Go get her." Megumi said, stepping away from Kenshin. He walked out of the store with purpose and headed straight for Kaoru. Megumi turned back to the ring case and look up at the jeweler. "He would like that ring for his new bride."

Nodding, the jeweler pulled out the sapphire ring.

Sano watched Kenshin stride across the lobby towards Kaoru. He looked like a predator stalking its prey. Kenshin walked with purpose. Sano saw Kaoru turn and spot the redhead just as he was bearing down on her. Kenshin grabbed Kaoru by the back of the neck and hauled her to him, planting his lips on hers hard and forceful.

When he pulled away, Kaoru was breathless once again. She had managed to keep herself from throwing up in the washroom and took the opportunity to clean up her disheveled appearance. She was getting married after all.

"Let's go get married." Kenshin said softly. Kaoru only nodded in response and followed Kenshin out of the hotel. The couple both forgot about the 'something new' part.

Sano and Megumi didn't follow them. Their job was done.

----------------------------

Kenshin stood staring up at Megumi in surprise. The memories of the previous night were still fuzzy to him. But he remembered being in the jewelry store with Megumi. He looked form Megumi to Sano and back again.

Realization dawned on him and he felt a sick feeling form in his gut.

"You did set this up." Kenshin said softly.

"Now, Kenshin. All we did was give you a nudge in the right direction!" Megumi said as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"A nudge? You call marriage to a stranger a 'nudge'!" Kenshin exclaimed, his voice rising.

"The whole marriage idea wasn't ours Kenshin! It was you two!" Sano said, immediately going on the defensive.

"That doesn't change the fact that this was all a set up!" Kenshin said. He was angry. Not because Sano and Megumi had deceived them. No. His anger was because Kaoru had been hurt by the whole thing.

"Kenshin..." Aoshi started.

"No! They hurt her!" Kenshin said angrily, silencing everyone in the hallway. "Peoples emotions aren't toys."

"You really do love her, don't you?" Sano asked.

"More than life itself."

"Awwww!"

"Gag me."

All eyes were back on Yahiko and his very childish remark.

"What!"

Kenshin sighed. It was all a disaster. A set up. Their meeting had been a set up.

"Uh... I hate to break up this little conversation. But I have a wardrobe malfunction going on here." Aoshi replied. All eyes were back on the sheet wearing man once again. "And where the hell is that draft coming from!"

"Aoshi, you bring a whole new meaning to the term 'air conditioning'." Sano retorted, trying not the laugh out loud but failing miserably and snorting.

Aoshi glared at him.

"Okay, okay. Let's get you some clothes." Sano said, still laughing.

"I'm going to see Kaoru." Kenshin said, punching the down button on the elevator. "I'll deal with you two later."

Megumi and Sano both swallowed nervously.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Katsu stood with a bleak expression on his face. He had his hand palm up in front of him, close to his chest.

Resting in Katsu's palm was Kaoru's engagement ring.

Kenshin's heart sank to his feet.

"She left."

---------------------------

A.N. Dun dun DUUUUNNNNNNNN!

Hehehe. Yeah, so wow. Another chapter pumped out. I think the comedy is still there but there's a more serious note to this chapter. Don't worry the comedy will return I promise!

Until next time!

Sakura


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